photo books costco reviews

Costco Photo Center review

Quality is middle of the road; but with bigger sizes, more pages, and much lower prices, costco photo center's print products are a great deal.

Tom's Guide Verdict

Costco Photo Center may not have the pizazz or refinement of other photo services, but the company knows how to deliver value. Its books, while not the best, are attractive looking and very attractively priced. And its calendar is a great bargain. If you're on a tight budget or are buying multiple items, Costco will please without breaking the bank.

Best value among books and calendars we reviewed

Calendar has above-average overall image quality

Attractive skin tones in the hardcover book option

High quality cover on large calendar

Attractive clip art with best detail and dimensionality

Not very attractive text fonts

Chemical smell to hardcover book pages

Stitching shows in hardcover binding

Flimsiest packaging

Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

When it comes to the best value photo books and photo calendars, it’s hard to beat Costco Photo Center. The big box retailer offers significantly lower prices than many other services, with not a huge drop off in terms of quality. 

Not only are Costco’s prices lower, but you get more for your money, too. Where most other photo book services offer square hardcover books around 8 x 8 inches, Costco has an 11.25 x 8.75-inch hardcover. And, its larger book also starts with more pages (30 vs 20), yet it's $13 less than the next-cheapest (and just slightly better) rival. The value situation with calendars, and photo cards is similar.

However, you’re much more limited when it comes to the design of your photo book and calendar, and especially photo cards. They’re not as attractive as rivals’ products, either. For our Costco Photo Center review, we awarded it 3.5 stars overall because of the premium we put on top quality. But depending on your budget, you may rate it even higher.

• Best photo books
• Best photo calendars
• Best photo cards

Costco review: Prices

Costco photo books Costco charges $19.99 for a 30-page 11.25 x 8.75-inch hardcover (or a two-pack of 30-page 8 x 8-inch softcover books). Other sizes include layflat versions of 12 x 12 inches (from $39.99 for 30 pages) and 14 x 11 inches (from $79.99).

Costco calendars A Costco calendar costs $9.99 for an 11 x 8.5-inch version. An 11.5 x 14-inch premium calendar costs 19.99.

Costco photo cards Costco sells 5x7 and 7x5 cards in increments of 25 starting at $16.49 (66 cents each). Cards with embossed foil text start at $24.99 for 25 cards (about $1 each). There are no volume discounts if you buy more cards. Costco sells several other sizes, including 4.25 x 5.5 flat cards, also starting at $16.49, and 4.25 x 5.5 folded cards starting at $19.99 for 25.

Costco review: Software

Costco offers just 36 design templates for books and 18 for calendars — a tiny selection compared to rivals. Shutterfly , for instance, has 67 and 80, respectively. (You can also create your own from scratch, as I did.) Its design software has a spare interface with dull-looking icons and text that make it resemble the internet circa 2001, but it packs handy features below the surface. It starts with a spare but helpful optional tour that takes you through main parts of the interface. Tips also appear when you first open menus, such as for adding backgrounds or borders. 

Behind the simple buttons to the left is a plethora of design options. The myriad backgrounds are arranged in many family-friendly collections such as Animals, Baby, Kids, Wedding, and Christmas. I found the small selection of Urban backgrounds (brick walls, rusted metal, etc.) rather fun, too. There's also a large selection of solid-color backgrounds (mainly in muted colors) but no ability to create custom colors. (Given how cumbersome this process is with the services that do offer the capability, it's not a major downside.) 

Clip art comes in 23 categories, such as Baby, Birthday, Flowers, Food, and Sports. The images all have a detailed, three-dimensional appearance (many being actual photographs) that really pop and add depth when placed on photos. Most other photo services offer cartoonish or low-res art that barely stands out.

Costco offers a small assortment of basic straight-line frames for images in a limited selection of colors. It also offers drop shadows and a collection of "fancy" frames that are low-res, muted, and a bit grandma-ish in appearance. You can also access a collection of "Masks" that place your photo inside shapes such as hearts or ovals or surround them in frilly designs such as flowery wreaths. You cannot customize the thickness or color of any frames or masks.

Costco offers the widest array of card templates, with more than 800 covering occasions such as Christmas, New Years, Kwanzaa, generic season's greetings, Easter, weddings, graduation, and the fall season. Costco helps you navigate the selection with filters by criteria such as card size, number of photos, and color schemes. Unlike with photo card services (or with Costco's own photo books), there is no option to create your own card design from scratch, and options for customizing the card templates are quite limited. For instance, text is limited to just two sizes (13 and 18 point) and three font styles.

You can make minor edits to individual photos - via an auto enhance option, red eye removal, and "tints" that convert the photo to sepia or black-and-white tones.

For text, Costco provides an adequate selection of fonts, with a respectable assortment of color options (though again, no customization capability). You have to choose font sizes from a predefined list, which can be a bit limiting. For example, there are no options between 48- and 72-point sizes.

Costco's calendar software has limited design options. You can add one or a number of images to the top page for each month. Only the very basic image editing features (mentioned above) are offered, and there are no customization options or embellishments, such as frames, masks, or clip art. Text is only available in set boxes that are part of the design template you choose (or page template, if you are designing from scratch), with a very limited selection of font styles, sizes, and colors

If you create your calendar from a pre-built template, you can select an alternative background from a subset chosen for that design, but you can't select any backgrounds if you create a calendar from scratch. And you can apply backgrounds only to the top photo pages, not the bottom calendar grid pages; nor can you change the grid style. The calendar comes with set holidays, including some non-Christian and international options such as Ramadan Begins, Yom Kippur, and Cinco de Mayo. You can also create your own calendar events, adding an image and text.

Costco review: Print Quality

Costco photo books Our judges were not too impressed with Costco's 8 x 8 softcover book, awarding it the lowest overall quality score, by far. It was below-average in most criteria. The pages were the thinnest and flimsiest we saw. Skin tones were rated one of the lowest (tied with Mimeo). The pale dad in a family photo on the cover appeared a tad pinkish. Photos also show some graininess in skin tones, especially with darker subjects (a problem that Mimeo also has). Costco was middle of the road in terms of contrast. In a photo of two women in the park, the one who appears in slight shadow is still bright enough to see clearly.

The 11.25 x 8.75-inch hardcover book scored far better, about average in overall quality. This makes it a very good deal, considering that it costs considerably less than hardcovers from rivals, is substantially larger, and includes more pages by default (30 vs. 20).

Skin tones were especially strong, trailing only Printique and Shutterfly . The slightly glossier paper allowed colors and contrast to pop more - for instance, in the strands of a woman's jet-black hair. Detail was rated below average, however. In the cover image, for instance, hair, eyes, and forehead wrinkles in a family portrait are less distinct than even on smaller rival books.

The hardcover design appears attractive at first, with a smooth, glossy cover and thick endpapers. (Unfortunately, you cannot place an image on the back cover.) But the stitching shows clearly in the fold between pages. And those pages had a slight "chemical" smell, like photos that have just come out of processing.

Costco's books (and calendar) arrive in minimal packaging — just trifold cardboard with an inside pocket for the book. But the three books and two calendars we ordered arrived without damage.

Costco calendars There's also a quality gap between Costco's budget and deluxe calendars — though not nearly as wide. The 11 x 8.5-inch version has a rough-finished, cheap-feeling cover reminiscent of notecard stock. (Although it's not the worst cover; that distinction goes to Shutterfly.) The dull finish to pages hurts color saturation. Skin tones are also weak; we saw limited tonality in a pale East Asian woman's face, for instance. The printing process also gives her, and other people, a grainy texture. However, that same calendar beats all rivals in terms of sharpness and detail. Wrinkles around people's eyes, for instance, show clearly.

Aside from sharpness (which is a tad below average), the 11.5 x 14-inch premium calendar beats the smaller model in all quality categories. In fact, it beats all rivals in contrast and cover quality. This model features rich, thick, glossy pages that enhance contrast as well as color. And images are smoothly printed, with none of the graininess seen in the smaller model. Skin tones, as in the East Asian woman (and her partner) show greater tonality. As with the larger photo book, Costco's premium calendar is even a better deal. While midpack in overall quality, it's both considerably larger and considerably cheaper than rivals from other brands.

Costco photo cards

If you saw some of Costco's cards on their own, they might look OK. But place them next to the other brands we reviewed, and you see the weakneses. This was especially true with the wedding invitations, which ranked dead last in our review of 10 cards from five vendors. Judges liked the envelop quality (and the free return address printing is a nice touch). But the card rated last or second to last in every other category: paper quality, color, skin tones, contrast, sharpness/detail, and text quality. The overall appearance was dull, and muddy, and skin tones had an unhealthy grayish cast-especially in the main image of an Asian couple on the front of the card.

The holiday card did better, being in about the middle of the pack. Judges liked the paper quality and found the contrast to be pleasing. Text scored relatively well - perhaps thanks to the gold-foil lettering that Costco offers. Although it had less luster than the gold foil from Mixbook and Shutterfly.

Costco review: Verdict

Costco's books and calendars were a pleasant surprise to both me and our panel of judges (who didn't know the identity of any of the products). It's not the top performer in any category. And there are some yellow flags — especially the questionable stitching in the hardcover book. But its products are respectable looking. And they provide much bigger canvases and (in the case of books) more pages to enjoy your memories. Costco's cards, however, were less impressive.

If you value image quality above all else, then it’s worth spending the money on Printique , or (for cards) Mimeo , and Mixbook offers far more flexibility when it comes to designing the best photo books and best photo calendars . 

We're all overflowing with digital images on our phones and computers. With its combination of large size and low price, Costco provides more opportunity for those buried digital mementos to rise to the surface.

Sean Captain is a freelance technology and science writer, editor and photographer. At Tom's Guide, he has reviewed cameras, including most of Sony's Alpha A6000-series mirrorless cameras, as well as other photography-related content. He has also written for Fast Company, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired. 

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One mom tried 5 digital photo book services: Here's how they compared

Remember photo albums -- books with clear plastic pockets that held your favorite photos to keep track of memories and memorialize a year of your life?

We don’t do that much anymore. When was the last time you even printed a picture?

But the joy of thumbing through a memory book of photos is still a thing, so services have sprung up online to turn your digital photos into bound books. While some have been around for decades, other newcomers have also come along. Prices and formats vary wildly, so how should you choose the right service for your images?

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"Good Morning America" asked mom Sheila Madrigal from Morgan Hill, California, to order photo books from 5 different services: Snapfish, Shutterfly, Mixbook, Amazon and Costco. She used the same 60 photos in all five books and tried to get the size and layouts of the books as similar as possible. The photos were taken with both her iPhone and DSLR camera.

After the books were created, ordered and arrived at Madrigal's house, we took them to Sam Hoffman of San Francisco’s Lightsource, a fine art print lab. While they don’t make print books at Lightsource, Hoffman evaluated the quality of the books.

Best Image Quality: Costco & Shutterfly

The primary factors Sam evaluated were contrast, warm skin tones, shadow detail, and saturation.

One of Madrigal’s photos showed her family in a field of yellow flowers, her husband Israel is tossing their daughter in the air. Both the Shutterfly and Costco books impressed him with how they handled the image.

In the Costco and Shutterfly books, the field had a rich golden color and skin tones were warm.

“I see the darkness of the blues. The separation of darkness and lighter colors,” said Hoffman.

He used that photo to judge two bottom performers in the image quality category, Snapfish and Amazon.

“There is a greyness in the flesh tones [Snapfish] and this one is the least vibrant of them all [Amazon],” he said.

Best Binding: Shutterfly

According to Hoffman, all the books used semi-matte paper, but the production from each company varied. In some books there was no cover page while others had sophisticated stamped paper in the cover and back page positions. Another difference was the binding. Some had a simple stitched binding that was visible between the pages, while others had stitched and glued binding that looked more sophisticated. Shutterfly’s book had a luxe cover page made of stamped paper, stitched and glued binding, as well as a back cover that was in a different color and design.

Ease of Creation: Snapfish

We let Sheila, who created the books, weigh in on this category. She said the Snapfish tool took her 20 minutes from start to finish to create the book. Uploads were fast, layout was simple and the user interface was intuitive. She ranked Mixbook, Shutterfly and Amazon slightly below Snapfish, but still easy to use.

She gave the Costco the lowest ranking in this category, complaining that the upload of her images took twice as long as some other sites. She said that when she used the Costco tool, it arbitrarily populated her book with the pictures she uploaded, but she had a specific order in mind and had to go back through the tool removing all the pictures then adding them back into the layout where she wanted them.

There was one more problem from the Costco book: it cut her baby's picture in half!

The online tool showed a picture of her three kids fitting on the page but when the printed book was inspected, the baby was only half visible. Sam explained that the image was placed too far into the center of the page, an area printers call the “gutter,” and the baby’s face was obscured. Sheila said it did not look like that in the online tool. Costco declined ABC News' request for comment.

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Least expensive: Amazon

The most expensive book was from Mixbook at $47.63. Shutterfly came in at $40.72 , Costco and Snapfish were a penny apart at $32.68 and $32.67, and Amazon had the least expensive book at $27.24.

One thing to consider with pricing is that many of these services offer outrageous deals on photobooks with special seasonal codes, sometimes 50 to 60% off.

Here’s a pro tip: keep a file of your favorite photos on your desktop, copy them in there as you take them each month, and when you see a killer deal come up, you’ll be able to create the book and nab a great keepsake at a fraction of the price.

Overall top pick: Shutterfly

Ranking ease of creation, image quality, price and the overall feel of the book’s production, Hoffman liked Shutterfly the best.

Our mom Sheila also liked Shutterfly the best, and resolved to make a memory book every year from now on.

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The Best Photo Book Service

By Erin Roberts

We live in a digital world overflowing with images and screens. By creating a tangible photo book, you can reconnect with your images, as well as those moments in time. And photo books make sharing memories with family and friends so much easier.

After conducting more than 100 hours of research and testing (which included creating 23 photo books and consulting with a master printer on the results), we recommend Mixbook as the best online photo book service.

Everything we recommend

Easy-to-design photo books with vibrant colors

This service offers the best book-building experience, modern design options, color-accurate photo reproduction, great customer service, and a powerful app.

Buying Options

Budget pick.

Affordable photo books for gifts or small projects

If you want to print multiple copies of a photo book to give as gifts (or for projects that aren’t meant to be keepsakes), this service delivers good-enough books at an affordable price.

Creating photo albums is fun with Mixbook , which gathers images from your computer, social media profiles, online photo-storage accounts, and even your smartphone. In our testing, it offered the best book-building experience of the bunch, as well as some of the best themed layouts. Our finished album looked vibrant, with accurate colors, and had a high-quality feel.

If you just need a basic photo book, VistaPrint can get the job done at a cost significantly lower than our top pick. It offers some of the best album-creation software we tested, including a Smart Assistant option that made album design a snap. Although the cover photo wasn’t as color accurate as that of our top pick, the photos inside were almost indistinguishable, as was the paper quality.

The research

Why you should trust us, who this is for, how we picked and tested, our pick: mixbook, budget pick: vistaprint, tips for making your best photo book, the competition, frequently asked questions.

To discover which features are important in a photo book service, we’ve researched more than 50 companies and created 23 albums since the first iteration of this guide. We’ve compiled a mixture of images from high-resolution DSLR cameras and iPhones, selecting specific examples for both color and resolution testing, and used them to directly compare the image quality of different albums.

When updating this guide, we’ve consulted several experts, including Taylor McAtee, printing expert and owner of Stretch and Staple , a print shop in Seattle. We also crowdsourced input from friends who enjoy making albums with their family photos.

If you want to create an album of your digital photos, a photo book service is absolutely the way to go. Today’s digital photo books look much sleeker and more elegant than the scrapbooks of old. They’re also much easier to replace if an original gets damaged.

Digital photo books can be customized to fit any purpose, such as for a baby book, a family trip album, or even a school yearbook. They also make great gifts for grandparents and family. And if you’re a photographer, photo books are a wonderful way to curate your work in something that can be reproduced for distribution.

If you want to make a fancier book to document a special event, such as a wedding, consider upgrading to a layflat book, which has a unique type of binding that allows two-page spreads to lie completely flat, with no crease in the middle. You could also consider choosing a more luxurious cover, such as leather or crushed silk, to match the occasion.

If you have a collection of vintage photo albums or boxes of family photos sitting around, you might want to scan those photos and upgrade to a digital photo book.

In researching online photo book services, we looked for those that allow you to create a customizable book with captions and multiple photos on one page. We eliminated services that don’t let you at least arrange and reorder photos. And, on the flipside, we dismissed any that looked too technical or complex for people with no design experience.

Many photo-printing services offer frequent, deep discounts and promotions throughout the year, so it can be difficult to make an accurate pricing comparison—but holidays and annual shopping events are a great time to finally click the albums you have waiting in your cart. Otherwise, we can’t say for sure whether one service will be cheaper than another at any given time, so we prioritized services that offered basic, 20-page, approximately 8-by-11-inch books for under $50.

In general, these are the key features we considered:

• Customization options: The best photo book services strike a fine balance between offering a creative, diverse range of editing options and overwhelming people with a dizzying range. The service should work for photo junkies and for people who just want to quickly make a wedding album.
• Intuitive photo book software: The editing tools should be easy to grasp, even at an amateur level. Ideally, they should include all of the basics, such as a black-and-white filter, shadows, brightness, contrast, and saturation, plus the ability to rotate, resize, and reorder images.
• Elegant, ready-made layouts: You should be able to choose from a wide range of photo layouts that can suit any number of photos in a variety of orientations. You should never feel the need to create your own design.
• Flexibility in design: For more-ambitious people, a good photo book service allows you to design a layout from scratch.
• Print quality that’s true to the source files: The photo book shouldn’t make your high-resolution photos look blurry, grainy, or oversaturated. It should capture the resolution and colors as accurately as possible, even if you mostly use photos from Instagram.
• Variety of cover and binding options: The cover is the first thing people see when they look at a photo book. We preferred services with a range of options that look nice and can withstand years of handling.
• High-quality paper choices: We looked for paper that is durable, of high quality, and resistant to tearing. Photo book services should offer a variety of paper types, such as gloss, semigloss, and pearlescent.
• Easy to reprint and revisit: Unlike traditional, scrapbook-like photo albums, digital photo books can be reproduced at any time. Therefore, the service you use should save your photos, layouts, and projects so you can return to print or edit them whenever you want.
• Flexible upload options: A good service should at least be able to receive photos from your computer, as well as from online platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
• Layflat spreads: These spreads allow you to depict one picture across two pages without the center crease of a traditional bound book. Though this sounds fancy, it’s a common offering from photo book services and a worthwhile upgrade in photography or wedding books. We didn’t make this option a requirement, but we gave extra points if a service offered it.

To test these services, we made 20-page photo books using DSLR shots taken by professional photographers, as well as iPhone snaps taken during my honeymoon trip to Tahiti. We specifically selected images that can be harder to print to see how each service performed when tasked with HDR (high dynamic range) images, tricky colors, black-and-white photos, and even dimly lit iPhone snapshots.

We laid out each book in the same order, using the service’s most basic, white template. We also used each service’s default font for captions, sticking with whichever typeface and size were assigned to the theme we chose. All of the companies allow you to change fonts, but that can be a hassle, and we decided the default font would look nice enough. For each book, we also used the default cover and paper options (which are the cheapest or second-cheapest available).

Over the years and several rounds of testing, we’ve asked printing expert Taylor McAtee to compare and contrast print and page quality. We’ve asked friends who enjoy making family photo albums to examine the photo books, and they’ve provided helpful, real-world observations, such as which paper finish might hold up best in the grubby hands of a 5-year-old.

Mixbook has easy-to-use and intuitive design software, vibrant and accurate colors, and modern layouts that make it our pick for the best photo book service for most people. It is one of the few services that offers a dedicated mobile app in case you prefer designing from your phone, and you can invite collaborators to help with or review a project before it goes to print.

Versatile image-uploading options makes it easy to find the photos you want. If most of your iPhone photos end up trapped inside your phone (like ours do), you’ll likely find that adding mobile images directly to Mixbook makes the design process much more efficient.

Using a QR code on your computer screen, Mixbook guides you in selecting and loading pictures from your phone. After you refresh your screen, voilà—your iPhone snaps are now available for you to add to your current project. You can also upload directly from a computer, your social media (Facebook and Instagram), and photo storage accounts (Google and SmugMug).

Its book-building software is the easiest to use. The Auto-Create option feels like magic: after you’ve uploaded your images, a single click of a button builds your book using “only the best images.” It’s an efficient way to get a solid first draft, and it’s easy to customize from that point.

Unlike some of its competitors, Mixbook offers a swap button to swiftly replace one image for another. You can quickly change layouts too: The software displays recommended layouts using your images and may be filtered by number of images per design.

It offers helpful tips to make sure you never feel lost. Mixbook’s guidance boxes were the most helpful resource of any service we tested. These pop-ups, which you can close as needed, provide tips as you start to build a book.

Its photo-editing tools are simple and efficient. These include the same basic options offered by most other services: brightness, saturation, contrast, and opacity. You can crop and zoom in and out of photos easily, though the free-rotation tool was tricky (to fix your horizon lines, you have to click and hold down the arrow in the circle).

Six filters can give your printed photos an Instagram feel; you can also play with shadows and borders or even make a heart-shaped image. Text was easy to insert, and Mixbook offers a plethora of font choices and controls.

Thoughtful little touches make a big difference. When you’re pulling from an available image library in Mixbook, you simply have to hover over a photo to make it bigger. We really liked this feature, since it can be tough to choose your next image based on a tiny thumbnail. (When we used other services, we sometimes had to add the actual photo just to determine if it was the one we’d meant to include in the first place.)

It offers more templates than the competition. Each well-designed template can be kept as is or modified.

Mixbook offers 138 “everyday” album templates, from the simple Minimal White design (which we chose) to birthday, wedding, and seasonal themes. Plus, the themed layouts show actual photo examples, a truly useful feature when envisioning what you’ll create.

Photo reproductions are vibrant and color-accurate. As in previous testing, our 20-page, 11-by-8.5-inch Mixbook photo book was one of the most vibrant among all of the books we created, and the colors most-closely matched those in our original photographs.

Mixbook did a good job of correcting a tricky photo of me about to board a helicopter for the first time: I’m a too-dark, shadowy subject in front of the sunny landing platform where a helicopter and pilot wait. Mixbook struck a better balance of the contrast, picking up more detail in my face while retaining the vibrant background colors.

We reached out to Mixbook to ask about its color-correction practices. CEO and co-founder Andrew Laffoon confirmed that Mixbook automatically applies “very minimal” autocorrection, and that the feature can’t be turned off.

Mixbook uses high-quality paper. Of the six books we created in our most recent round of testing, Mixbook’s simplest album option came with the second-thickest pages—akin to the pages of a coffee-table book. The pages felt durable enough to stand up to the grubby paws of a small child, and they had enough sheen that we also thought they could endure a small mess and be wiped clean.

Its pricing is on a par with that of competitors. Mixbook albums cost about as much as or slightly more than other comparable albums in this category. But it’s always worth seeking out a discount, since the service usually offers an active 50%-off coupon .

If you don’t see a coupon at checkout, you can always make the book and then wait to purchase it until you can get a discount. This is especially handy if you opt for upgrades, like layflat pages, which can nearly double the price of an album.

Mixbook doesn’t spam you with email ads. Unlike Snapfish , which took our order as an invitation to send promotional emails daily, Mixbook didn’t automatically inundate our inboxes with promos once we created an account. We actually had to go into account settings to sign up for Mixbook’s email offers (and you can unsubscribe just as easily).

Flaws but not dealbreakers

Other photo book services offer more photo editing tools. We worked with Mixbook’s available brightness, saturation, and contrast sliders to boost a cloudy day photo. Though the results looked a bit better on screen, the printed version still appeared dark. Of course, you could use an external image-editing program, but we often found we needed to make another small tweak or two once we placed images on the page; editing that image elsewhere and then reimporting it to use in our design felt like a time-consuming chore. A more robust editing suite within Mixbook’s interface would mean we could make any necessary edits seamlessly while creating a photo book.

For a basic photo book at a lower price than our top pick, VistaPrint gets the job done, even if the cover photo was a little oversaturated and the design process wasn’t quite as smooth.

It lacks our top pick’s cute design templates. When you start creating your VistaPrint photo book, you can only select from seven size options, and it doesn’t have any design templates to start from. You can add some 1990s clip art or masks within the editor, but that’s not nearly as attractive or easy as selecting from one of the hundreds of templates Mixbook offers.

Adding photos is easy, yet limited. Unlike our top pick, VistaPrint only allows uploads from your computer and doesn’t allow for HEIC files, which is how iPhones and iPads save images by default.

You can change your device’s camera settings to shoot JPEG, and it’s not difficult to convert HEIC files to JPEG after the fact, but it is one more hurdle that can get in the way when you’re itching to start designing. You could opt to create a book via VistaPrint’s mobile site, which works fine with HEIC files, but that platform isn’t as easy to use as the desktop site.

Photo-editing tools are few, but print quality was nearly perfect. VistaPrint’s editor offers even fewer photo-editing tools than our top pick, and it doesn’t offer a way to fix an imperfect horizon line—a photographer’s pet peeve. By default, VistaPrint will “enhance” all photos automatically; a pop-up window bears this warning as you begin to create your photo book.

We left the auto-enhancement option on, and the results were as good as our top pick, with accurate color reproduction and impressive corrections on our tricky test images. Only the cover image appeared oversaturated, and VistaPrint had two tries at this, since the first copy arrived with a slight wrinkle in the corner of the cover.

Customer service is responsive, too. VistaPrint was responsive to our complaint; it requested images of the damage and then sent us a new copy for free. The new book arrived in just a few days. The cover was unwrinkled but still a bit oversaturated, which made skin tones appear too pink.

It’s a great book and good value. If you just need a simple book, perhaps at a price that makes multiple copies possible, VistaPrint is a solid option. The final result was a very close second to our top pick in terms of color accuracy and page quality, with just a few flaws noticed during the creation process and a not-quite color-accurate cover.

Printing expert Taylor McAtee said you should trust the experts at whichever photo book service you choose. “Just pick the photos you like,” McAtee said, explaining that because your home computer likely doesn’t have a color-calibrated monitor, the on-screen edits you make could look much different when printed.

He also offered two additional tips for selecting photos for a printed book: Avoid washed-out, intentionally very bright (aka high-key) images, which often don’t look as good in print as they might on a glowing digital screen. And don’t apply Instagram filters or use other editing apps that may compress your iPhone files, since doing so can result in a low-resolution photo when it’s printed.

Snapfish was about the same price as our top pick but, as in past years, delivered a book with dull and muted photos and some of the thinnest pages we saw in testing. Snapfish also sent us the most promotional emails following our order—at an annoying pace of about one every other day.

The photo book we built with Pikto looked a lot like the results from our budget pick, VistaPrint, but the service cost a bit more, and its software was clunkier, with no swap button. It was also difficult to connect with its customer service: No one ever answered our calls during business hours, no chat help was available, and the back-and-forth email assistance we did receive was slow.

Walmart Photo is a past budget pick, but the album we created this year wasn’t as good as in previous years. The cover image was oversaturated, making skin tones appear pink and not true to life. Color accuracy was also off throughout the thin pages, appearing dull compared with the competition.

Though Shutterfly was previously a top pick, the last time we physically tested the service, its image quality was a letdown. We took a fresh look for this update but found for its price, about $10 more than our top pick, other photo book services offer better editing tools.

Though we love the minimalist look of Artifact Uprising ’s designs, the books we ordered were both oversaturated. We tested the Hardcover Photo Book and the Photo-Wrapped Hardcover Book, the two most-expensive options we tested. In each book our photos were oversaturated, but especially so for the Photo-Wrapped Hardcover Book. This made my skin look especially reddish-pink in many photos, as though I had a significant sunburn throughout my trip (I didn’t). While turning up the vibrancy can make an image really pop, the downside can be inaccurate skin tones.

Google Photo’s photo books are the path of least resistance for people who already use Google Photos. Although it’s a fast and brainless solution, the automated process allows for little control or creativity. Photos are autofilled in chronological order, and it’s a hassle to move images around if you’d like a different format. If all of your photos aren’t already stored with Google, that adds another step in the process. Layout and design options are limited, and it doesn’t have image-editing tools.

We also checked out Amazon Photos . As with the Google option, creation is a breeze as long as you’re already using it to store your photos. The online software allows for slightly more control over image placement, but it doesn’t have image-editing tools or enough design options overall.

Apple also allows you to create a photo book right from Photos, using the Motif app. But just like the Google Photo and Amazon Photo, this option is very specific to the platform, and you have very little control over design or photo editing.

We made two books with Blurb —one with its web-based software, Bookify, and another with its downloadable software, BookWright.

We were disappointed with the options available in Bookify; it had very few layouts, and they had too much white space for our liking. We also experienced major glitches with captions.

BookWright, meanwhile, offers a huge range of design options, including layouts and fonts, with very little glitching. It reminded us a great deal of Photoshop or InDesign, so if you’ve used those programs before, you may be familiar with the added controls. We also liked that Blurb allows you to upload a PDF to create your book, and that it offers plug-ins for Adobe InDesign and Lightroom. BookWright could be a good choice for amateur photographers or anyone looking to print a series of books.

Nations Photo Lab , our pick for the best online photo printing service , continues to disappoint us with photo book software that offers almost no photo editing and only basic layouts, at a more expensive price than our top pick.

This article was edited by Ben Keough and Erica Ogg.

Where can I get a same-day photo book?

Our previous budget pick, Walmart Photo , offers same-day pickup. And the site, which has some of the best photo-editing tools available, makes designing and customizing an album easy. Other services, like CVS and Walgreens , offer same-day pickup, but we haven’t tested them.

Which photo book services offer apps?

Several photo book services have a mobile app. Our top pick, Mixbook , has an app for iPhone owners . Though our budget pick, VistaPrint, doesn’t offer a dedicated app, the mobile version of the website is okay.

Which service has the best-quality photo books?

Among the 17 books we tested, Mixbook had some of the most vibrant color pages, and the colors most closely matched the colors in our original photographs. Mixbook also had more user-friendly software than most of the other services we looked at.

Meet your guide

Erin Roberts

Erin Roberts is a freelance writer reporting on cameras and camera accessories at Wirecutter. She started her career as a photojournalist working in newspapers—shooting film—and was the mobile-imaging editor at DPReview. She is also a professional photographer who has made her living photographing everything from rock stars to humpback whales.

Further reading

The Best Instant Camera

by Arriana Vasquez and Erin Roberts

The best instant camera for taking high-quality, retro-cool photos is the Fujifilm Instax Square SQ40 .

The 16 Best Tech Gifts for Any Gadget Lover

by Samantha Schoech

Looking for gifts for a tech-obsessed loved one? We have Wirecutter-tested picks, including headphones, speakers, camera tripods, and more.

The Best Online Photo Printing Service

by Phil Ryan

We’ve tested dozens of online photo printing services, and we’ve consistently found that Nations Photo Lab is the best place to get prints.

The 19 Best Gifts for Photographers

by Arriana Vasquez and Phil Ryan

Photographers can be picky about gear—which is why selecting a gift for a shutterbug can be a sticky wicket. Here are stellar finds endorsed by our staff photographers and reporting experts.

The Best Photo Books of 2024

Products are chosen independently by our editors. Purchases made through our links may earn us a commission.

Why trust Reviewed?

Reviewed's mission is to help you buy the best stuff and get the most out of what you already own. Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need.

Shutterfly Photo Books

Unlimited layout combinations

Great print quality

Fast shipping

May be overwhelming for beginners

Mixbook Photo Books

Bright photos

Many page layouts

Quick shipping

Slightly flimsy binding

Artifact Uprising Photo Books

Soft and hardcover options

High-quality printing

Eco-friendly options

Fewer cover options

Milk Photo Books

Quality photo printing

Easy to customize

No option for text on cover

Picaboo Photo Books

Pages lay flat

Bright photo prints

Confusing customization tool

No autofill or text box option

Updated September 14, 2022

But there's another option that appeals to many, and particularly those who lived it up during the good ol' days of making scrapbooks. Instead of turning to double-sided tape and stickers, you can digitally upload photos directly from your phone to any number of online photo book maker services and turn them into a printed book with binding. Most photo book services allow you to design the book yourself for a truly personal touch.

Shutterfly is the best photo book you can make.

Shutterfly makes the best online photo book. From the ease of uploading photos, to unlimited layouts, a gorgeous print job, and quick shipping—this is the best photo book for your time and money.

Shutterfly offers ample layouts and designs, with additional options for text, graphic, and up to 25 photos per page. Using Shutterfly's online photo book platform, we were able to easily upload our photos and arrange them neatly.

Shutterfly offers one of the biggest layout and design options when it comes to online photo book services, making it easy to find a book style that suits you. You can also add text boxes and graphics to the pages. Though all these features and options give Shutterfly an edge, it’s fair to say the design process could feel overwhelming to some.

The physical photo book arrived and looked just like the online rendering. The cover is bright and shiny, and the pages have a nice weight to them without being overly stiff. Most importantly, the printed photos are colorful, clear, and crisp. Even the photos that take up a full page are high quality. We are incredibly impressed with the creative building process and the finished product, making Shutterly our number one pick for photo books.

Mixbook is the best photo book you can buy for the money.

When it comes to value, Mixbook makes the best photo books. Compared to other photo book services we tested, Mixbook is one of the most affordable print services without sacrificing the quality of more expensive photo books. The online interface took a minute to figure out, but once my images were uploaded, we enjoyed playing around with the various page options and how the photos looked in the different layouts.

There’s also an autofill option if you’d rather have your photos imported straight to the pages. And there are text boxes, frames, and graphics you can add to your pages to make them even more unique.

The front cover is clear and has a slightly matte finish. The interior pages are on the thicker side and the photos are bright, though the binding is flimsier than our best overall pick. Shutterfly. The printing quality is consistent no matter the size of the photo, and the colors are true to life.

And, the Mixbook photo book arrived through the mail quickly. One downside, though, is that the online interface takes some getting used to, mostly because there are so many options shown on screen at once.

For one of the best photo books for the money, you’ve got to go with Mixbook.

Other Photo Books We Tested

Artifact Uprising is a popular photo book service, especially for remembering events like weddings, graduations, and family vacations. While most photo books will look better with professional photos, Artifact Uprising’s materials and layouts cater to high quality images.

The full-page image options look like they will allow your photos to shine for years to come.

We found Artifact Uprising’s online customization process easy to navigate. It was easy and quick to batch upload my photos and start toying around with page layouts and the order of my images. Plus, Artifact Uprising offers some eco-friendly options like 100% recycled options and reclaimed materials like wood fibers and pine wood blocks.

There was the option to auto-populate the book, which is great if you aren’t sure where to start or want to save time. We had the online system autofill the book and then moved a few things around to our liking. There is also an option to add text boxes. However, the design tool has fewer cover and layout options than our best overall selection.

The finished product is a beautiful, minimalist-style photo book that balances white space with the photos. The page layouts look just like they did when we designed them online. For the most part, the photos are crisp and colorful, but a few are slightly darker than what we uploaded.

One thing we'd do differently next time, though, is make sure not to have photos go all the way to the center of the page because some are slightly cut off by the binding, which we didn’t notice in the online rendering.

Creating a photo book using Milk Handcrafted Photo Books was fun, straightforward, and rewarding. The online creation tool was easy to use with a quick photo upload, a single cover option, and many page layouts.

It was easy to customize the pages without being overwhelming or confusing, and though the layouts were limited we had more than enough to create a book we liked.

The fabric exterior is a nice touch, though it means there isn’t a label on the spine or front cover; but there is a title page which is unique.

The photos are printed well with accurate colors, clarity, and just enough shine. The pages and bindings are pretty durable, making this one of the best photo books we've tested.

Picaboo’s photo book process had a balance of pros and cons, but ultimately it ranks lower on our list due to its confusing online customization tool.

The beginning part of the build process went smoothly: The photos uploaded quickly, we chose a cover that rendered well on the surface, and we were pleased with the variety of layout options.

However, we found the online tool overwhelmingly complicated because it had grouped pages in “spreads” with some photos laid out across the binding of the book on one or both pages when the book was flat. We wanted to avoid parts of photos being cut off or hard to see, so we had to ungroup all the spreads in the book before we could pick the layouts we liked and arrange photos.

Despite the headaches, the photo book looked amazing once it arrived. The pages are a bit flimsy but lay flat, which is a feature we love. The cover photo is a bit dark, but the rest of the photos are bright, clear, and true to color.

From start to finish, Vistaprint offers one of the best photo book services. Our photos uploaded quickly, and we were able to use the autofill option to create the base of the book, which makes the process so much easier.

There are only a few photo layout options, but each offers plenty of room and you can select how many photos you want per page.

One gripe we have is with the cover photo. We wanted to use a horizontal image on the vertical photo book. Instead of letting us zoom out with extra white space, the cover photo is zoomed in and cuts off people in the photo.

In person, the Vistaprint photo book impresses with stunning print quality that looks true to what we created online. Even the full page photos are clear and crisp.

The cover cuts off the left and right edge of the photo, and when we run our hands across it, we can feel some small bubbles in the printing.

As long as you have a vertical cover image and don’t mind limited layout options, the Vistaprint photo book is a solid option.

Quick batch upload

Bubbly cover

Few layout options

Flimsy pages

Using Walmart Photos to create a photo book is a bit of a mixed bag—the process was both simple and frustrating. On one hand, we could easily upload photos, select a cover, navigate the layouts, and even use the autofill option.. But on the other hand, Walmart Photos doesn't have any options for text boxes like other online photo book services do.

We found that the size of some images in the layouts seemed small, which meant the final product had a lot of white space and the photos didn’t look as great. The borders for each page are large too, causing the book to look unbalanced.

The photo book itself is low quality: The pages are very thin, the photos are dull, and the cover image is blurry.

Ample layout options

Flimsy Pages

No text options

Creating a photo book with Snapfish is an uncomplicated process similar to others in our guide. We were able to batch upload photos, customize the cover, and place photos ourselves or use an autofill option.

Snapfish offers many different layouts, but the main thing that sets it apart from other services is that many of the layouts require five or more photos. We didn’t like how small that meant each photo needed to be, so we opted to use the layouts for four photos or fewer.

When we got the book, we were disappointed to see that the cover photos (and ones inside the book) appeared to be overexposed—too bright for our liking. Additionally, the colors of the images inside of the book were not entirely accurate and differed slightly from what we originally submitted.

The binding of the book is decently strong, but the pages are flimsy to the point that they feel as if they’d rip if you flip through it. Because the product is average, I’d opt for another service that has more layouts and a better final product.

Dull colors

Unfortunately, our experience with Pinhole Press was aggravating from start to finish. The batch photo upload tool didn’t work well and was slow, and once we selected a cover, we weren’t able to resize, zoom, or make it on the vertical page. The bottom line is that the design tool made filling the book with photos more difficult than other photo books we tested. Pinhole Press also lacks options for text boxes, which most other online photo book services offer.

When the book arrived, we were disappointed to see that it looked nothing like the online preview—two people were cut off in the photo and the title text was so hard to read that we barely noticed it was there. Additionally, the color of the photos in the book appeared darker than other photo books we tested.

On the plus side, the Pinhole Press photo book is durable and sturdy, with thick pages similar to that of a high school yearbook. However durable the photo book is, though, it's not the kind of quality you'll get with our best overall pick.

Thick pages

Difficult cover customization

Dark photos

Complicated photo upload

Amazon Photos only makes photo books in a single size with limited design options. It’s a great choice if you’re looking for a simple, barebones photo book, but if you want something truly customizable, check out Shutterfly instead.

Most other photo books come in a variety of sizes, but Amazon's is only available in an 8-inch by 8-inch size. There's also only one image per page—far more limiting than any other service we tested.

You don’t get to be creative with the images or placement, but the book becomes thick the more images you include since each image is another page.

The finished photo book was durable, with a matte cover and thick pages. Most of the photos printed well but have a dark tint that wasn’t present in the original photos and many other photo books we tested.

Somewhat dark photo printing

One photo per page

One size only

We disliked each step of making a photo book with Printique. For starters, the photo upload tool had one of the longest upload times, which slowed down the design process. Printique has limited layouts, it was difficult to customize each page because I had to manually adjust the images to be the same size or have symmetrical borders. Other photo books we tested automatically adjusted.

Disappointingly, the front and back cover feel like one large sticker spread across the thicker cover material, and in some places there are even bubbles. Printique is one of the more expensive options, so we were disappointed with the poor product given the price.

The interior of the book is quite nice, with incredibly durable pages and brightly printed photos. It’s worth noting that though the pages are thick and strong, the materials are vinyl-like, which we didn’t select. If you’re looking for a flat or matte option this isn’t that—it’s much shinier and almost has a dotted pattern in the light.

Vinyl-like pages

Slow batch upload

Cheap cover

How We Tested Photo Books

We evaluated each photo book's print quality and brightness.

Each photo book was tested in two steps. The first assessment was an evaluation of the online creation process, accounting for photo uploading, the design tools, and placing an order.

The second test evaluated how the physical photo book turned out, including photo printing quality, page material, book covers, and the like.

I’m Liv Birdsall, a contributor to Reviewed where I review lifestyle products ranging from beauty and style to home and garden. I was thrilled to test out photo books because I love memory keeping. I opted to create a photo book using images from my yoga certification training to use as a reference now that I teach yoga.

We created each photo book by uploading the same 45 to 50 photos to each site’s online design tool and tried different features like auto filling the book with photos, adjusting the photo sizes, and moving pages around. We used the same image on the cover of each book to see how it would render and print. We made sure to use all the photos in each book, and then completed the orders for all the books.

Once the photo books arrived, we flipped through them and compared the printing quality. Some photos were dark and dull, some were bright, some were exposed or blurry, and some were true to color. We assessed the pages, bindings, cover quality, and how durable each book felt.

What You Should Know About Buying a Photo Book

We tested the best photo books that you can make online.

Buying a photo book is typically a two part process: designing the book and then ordering the book. The design steps can be as involved as you’d like, similar to scrapbooking.

Some photo book websites allow you to add frames, graphics, and text boxes to each page to customize every detail. Before you begin designing, you’ll first want to gather all your photos for the book in one folder; this is to streamline the uploading process and to get an idea of how large of a photo book you’ll need.

When it comes to designing, give yourself time to be creative. If you want a photo book fast, use the auto-populate tool that many sites offer and then review the photos to make sure they aren’t cut off by any formats and are ordered to your liking.

If you’re looking to customize each page, adjust layouts and photos to make your photo book unique and reflective of the memories you want to capture.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Meet the tester

Liv Birdsall

Contributor

Liv Birdsall is a Freelance Contributor at Reviewed. She is most passionate about eco-friendly initiatives and alternatives and writes about sustainability across subject areas, including beauty, style, home and garden, and lifestyle. Her writing can be found on USA Today, Reviewed.com, Yoga Journal, and her blog muchmess.com. She works as a yoga teacher, QA Analyst, Copyeditor, and Blog Coordinator, all from her plant-filled home in Columbus, Ohio.

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Costco Photo Printing review: Good prices for members only

I'm not going to suggest that you run out and buy a Costco membership today so that you can take advantage of their photo services. But if you already have a membership, one of the perks is Costco's fair-priced, high-quality photo center. They have a pretty nice array of photo print sizes, photo products, and other print services worth checking out. Pricewise, you can get some of the best photo cards at Costco. Overall, Costco is one of the best online photo printing services .

Price : Varies Bottom line: If you're a Costco member, consider using their photo printing services.

• Wide array of products and services
• Well-priced without promo codes and sales
• Particularly good prices on photo cards
• Quality prints and photo products
• Pick-up some items in-store
• Frustrating photo book creation platform
• Must have a Costco membership

Membership has its priviledges

Costco Photo Printing review: Features

Let me start by making it clear: you must have a Costco membership in order to use their photo printing services. Membership starts at about $60/year. I cannot recommend buying a membership solely for the photo services, but if you have one already, it's worth checking out their photo center.

Costco offers a wide selection of photo prints and products. You can get gift items like mugs and throws, but the selection is not nearly as large as many other photo services offer. Costco also offers business printing services, as well as photo services not mentioned on their website. For example, my father-in-law recently took an old family photo to Costco for restoration; they did a nice job with it. I've also had home movies transferred to DVD at Costco, though I don't see that service on the website. For this article, I ordered three 4x6 prints, an 8x10 print, a 20x30 print, four wallet prints, 50 photo cards (the minimum order for this type of card), and a photo book. All of my daughter's engagement photos that you see in my order were taken by JMS Imagery . My own wedding photo on the book cover was taken by Nancy Lambert . I don't know who took my parents' wedding photo.

Placing the photo book order was a chore. After you choose a book size and theme, even "create your own," the photos you've selected are automatically installed. They are not placed in numerical order, and they're not cropped nearly correctly. You can't move them around, you can only delete and re-add or else move the whole two-page spread. I ended up deleting every single photo and then placing each one back in where I wanted it. If there was a more efficient way to do it, I couldn't figure it out. Still, I did it, and when the photobook arrived it looked great.

Costco's prices are fair without hunting down promo codes or waiting for sales.

The quality of every item I received met my expectations. The large 20x30 print came rolled in a tube, but the rolled edges settled down after a couple of days with books on the corners. The color and quality of every print from wallet-sized to 20x30 is great. The black and white prints look great too. I'm not sure why wedding invitations were offered as an option on cards made from photo paper, nor am I sure why I ordered them, but I would not use them. I would prefer wedding invitations on card stock. The photo card quality would absolutely be lovely for holiday photo cards, though. The envelopes are the typical plain white paper.

Costco's prices are on the lower end. They do offer promo codes but not as many as some other sites do. The photo cards are particularly cheap, though there is a minimum order of 50. If you get Costco's more expensive premium card stock cards, the minimum is 25. Shipping is neither free nor particularly cheap, but you can pick up certain items in store. Costco does have an app for your iPhone which allows you to order your photo items, refill prescriptions, shop other products, get Costco gas prices, and more.

Price and quality

Costco Photo Printing review: What I like

Like many other things that Costco sells, you're getting good quality items at good prices. I had to laugh at the high 50-card minimum for photo card orders. It's just like how you have to buy 50 rolls of toilet paper when you shop at Costco.

I do like the convenience of being able to pick up certain items in the store. It saves shipping fees, and of course, I always manage to find something I "need" whenever I set foot in that store.

Not a great website

Costco Photo Printing review: What I don't like

The website doesn't make it easy to figure out exactly what Costco offers and what the price ranges are. It's just not set up that intuitively. The photo book platform is super annoying. Maybe there's a better way to make photo books than deleting all of the auto-loaded photos and putting each one back in, but I couldn't figure out how.

Worth checking out for members

Costco Photo Printing review: Bottom line

Costco offers a wide variety of high-quality photo printing services at decent prices. I would not suggest buying a Costco membership just for their photo services. But if you're already a member, check out their photo printing. Costco's prices are fair without having to hunt down promo codes or waiting for sales. Their photo card prices are particularly good, as long as you don't mind buying 50 at a time.

See at Costco

Karen is a contributor to iMore.com as a writer and co-host of the iMore Show. She’s been writing about Apple since 2010 with a year-long break to work at an Apple Store as a product specialist. She's also a contributor at TechRadar and Tom's Guide. Before joining iMore in 2018, Karen wrote for Macworld, CNET, AppAdvice, and WatchAware. She’s an early adopter who used to wait in long lines on release days before pre-ordering made things much easier. Karen is also a part-time teacher and occasional movie extra. She loves to spend time with her family, travel the world, and is always looking for portable tech and accessories so she can work from anywhere.

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5 things to know before you use Costco Photo Center

Costco Wholesale is known for its low prices on everything, right? Well, you can add all your photo printing needs to that list, too!

We may live in a digital age where we don’t print photos as often as we used to, but many people still put a premium on the printed picture.

One place where you can you save serious money on printing the photos that capture special memories of your life is Costco Photo Center.

RELATED:  5 things to know before you buy glasses from Costco Optical

Costco Photo Center: Save 30%, 45%, even 70% off the leading competitor pricing

Here’s a quick look at the savings by category that Costco Photo Center advertises online versus the leading competitor.

• Canvas prints – 30% off
• Photo books – 40% off
• Metal prints – 45% off
• Calendars – 60% off
• Greeting cards – 70% off

If you've never tried the photo department at either your local warehouse or online at CostcoPhotoCenter.com , here's what you need to know…

1. You can upload photos directly from your phone for printing

With the Costco app ( iOS or Android ), you can order traditional prints, canvas prints, photo books and more on the go right from the palm of your hand — using the pictures you've already got stored on your phone or on your social media accounts.

costco app photo center

Traditional photo prints start at just 17 cents a piece. Other types of prints and projects are available, too.

See the full list of offerings here .

2. Custom cards, fine art prints, vintage photography and more are also available

When you want to lend a touch of extra class to any occasion, Costco Photo Center has a full range of custom cards for holidays, births, graduation, engagements and other milestones.

Photo cards start at $13.99 for 50. Premium cards start at $17.25 for 25 and come with return address printing, among other extra features.

costco custom cards from photo center

You can see the full list of custom cards that are available here .

Meanwhile, you can even order fine art and vintage prints through CostcoPhotoCenter.com.

costo fine arts gallery

3. Home video transfer services start at $19.99 

If you’re of a certain age, you no doubt have a lot of the memories of your youth stored on home video cassettes of varying types.

Costco Photo Center can digitize those bulky home cassettes to DVD so you can preserve them for future generations — all at one flat price.

* For the first 90 minutes of footage on DVD; additional charge of $6 for the first 90 minutes of footage on Blu-ray.

Every order includes two gold archival-quality DVDs and free online viewing and sharing. Orders can also be saved to Google Photos for free, as well.

4. Costco Photo Center offers a wide range of photo gifts starting at $8.99

When you want to give a thoughtful present, it doesn’t get much better than putting the smiling face of you, your children or other loved ones on a photo gift!

Costco Photo Center lets you use your pictures to create any number of colorful photo mugs, woven picture blankets, visually stunning calendars and more.

Here’s a rundown of what you can make:

5. Be prepared: Your local warehouse club’s photo department may be going away

Don't be entirely surprised if your local Costco Wholesale no longer has an in-store photo department.

Last year, Costco pulled the plug on photo departments at all Massachusetts locations except for one store. That wasn't an isolated incident; the same thing happened in Hawaii last year , too.

It does make sense, when you consider that basically everything involved in the process can be done digitally these days.

Remember, you can always access all of Costco's photo services described here online at  CostcoPhotoCenter.com .

More Costco stories on Clark.com: 

• 7 things to know before you buy gas at Costco Wholesale
• Costco members: Here are the best deals & coupons this month!
• 5 things to know before you buy a cell phone at Costco Wholesale

The post 5 things to know before you use Costco Photo Center appeared first on Clark Howard .

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A comparison of our 9 favorite custom photo book services, for one of our all-time favorite gifts

by Cool Mom Team | Nov 29, 2021 | Art + Decor | 9 comments

Since custom photo books are among our very favorite gifts for the holidays, for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and even for teacher gifts and gifts for favorite sitters, we’ve put together a helpful comparison of our top picks.

For years, we’ve compared our favorite custom photo book companies –there are now so many out there, it can be hard to choose one service over another. Especially because they’re all a little different.

That’s where we come in! We’ve researched and tried dozens of custom photo books for comparison sake over the years, and we’ve narrowed down the list to our absolute favorites, with a few details on what makes each one special.

This post has been updated for 2021

So, if you’ve got a few thousand photos sitting on your phones or laptop albums like we do, pick a date to take care of that — then pick one of our favorite custom photo book services from this comparison, so you can preserve them somewhere more beautifully than “in the cloud.”

Top image: Shutterfly

Related: Creative men’s gifts for hard-to-shop for dads and grandpas

A comparison of our favorite custom photo book services

We may earn a small commission from purchases through affiliate links in this article, which helps support our own small business at no additional cost to you. 

Artifact Uprising Custom Photo Books (starts at $17)

Artifact Uprising makes gorgeous, keepsake albums with exquisite design, and our readers may recognize that we recommend them in our gift guides all the time for all kinds of occasions and people we love.

In terms of artistry and archival quality, you can’t beat these custom photo books; the hardcover books are bound in linen with a variety of dust jacket choices, and they also offer occassion-based photo books  (babies, weddings, travel), as well as extremely affordable softcover books  in all sizes, including a square, 5.5×5.5″ Instagram-friendly book.

We also love their new Color Series Custom Photo Books , to let you create a gorgeous library of small, affordable photo boos — say one you send to Grandma each month?

The downside: I don’t have a professional photographer following my family around all the time making us look as gorgeous as the photos featured here! But hey, that’s what photo editing apps are for, right?

Pinhole Press Custom Photo Books (starts at $14.99)

This wonderful, family-run site is another custom photo book site we’ve recommended for a long time — actually, right when they launched! Since then, they’ve grown beautifully over the years, and offer lots of unique formats for photo gifts, with features like cool spiral binding, an accordion-style brag book, or even photo gifts like photo tile games or puzzles.

Of course they also have classic soft and hard-cover photo books, all with exquisite attention to details like paper and printing.

Their modern, simple styles starts around $19.99 for layflat custom photo books  with nice softcover binding, and there’s a wide variety of beautifully produced  hardcover keepsake photo albums  starting at $49.99 (though most are around $69.99) including their popular  landscape lay-flat photo book with cloth binding , which comes in vertical, horizontal, or modern square sized custom photo books (above).

They starts at at $69.99 for 20 pages, with achoice of ten different binding colors, and the result is just lovely.

Blurb Photo Custom Books (starts at $14.99)

The options from one of the original custom photo book sites,  Blurb Books , are super popular and for great reason — the quality is spectacular, with some of the most customizable options I’ve seen anywhere on the web.Softcover books start at $14.99, hardcovers with image wraps or dust jackets are in the $29 range, and their higher-end hardcover, layflat custom photo book starts at $49.99.

Find options from cookbooks with old family recipes to cute alphabet books starring your very own kids, and of course, the classics.

Additionally, they offer options for book and magazine publishers, or let you become a self-published author yourself. That make the DIY design tools on their site a bit more than what you get from than quick-and-easy, drop-and-go photo book generator — you need to download their BookWright by Adobe design tool first — and that saves you 35% off your first book. But the multiple page templates make it kind of fun to put together, and the result is tops.

Mixbook Custom Photo Books (starts at $15.99)

What started as a series of Mosaic photo books featuring Instagram photos has really grown into a wide variety of books that you can either design yourself , or make it easy using one of their dozens (and dozens!) of custom templates.

A softcover 8×6″ book starts at $15.99, while a premium leather book with dust jacket starts at $44.99 for a smaller size, all the way up to $114.99 for a large 14″x11″ custom photo book.

While they do still offer some of the minimalist designs we originally loved, they have evolved to a more scrapbook-y feel, that may or may not be your cup of tea. However we do appreciate their specific categories for adoption or seasonal albums — plus Martha Stewart Mixbook designs — it really is worth a look around, especially for very reasonable prices.

Related: 8 wonderful Mother’s Day gift book ideas to celebrate all she is, and all she loves.

Shutterfly Custom Photo Books (starts at $14)

Shutterfly was one of the very first services to offer custom photo books and is still a strong — and affordable — option in our opinion, so don’t sleep on them!

Because their background is in photo storage, they understand the value of sorting books by topic or occasion, meaning they offer ready-made templates with themes like Year in Review , Seasonal , Family , and Celebrations photo books  to cover you from graduation to weddings to new babies. (Not necessarily in that order!)

There’s also a lot of modern new template styles ( Simply Modern shown above), as well as a new designer collection of custom photo books , with collabs from various designers and design companies — even a  new “Memories That Spark Joy” book  from none other than Marie Kondo .

And now they’ve launched a new Make My Book service that allows you to send the company all your photos so they can personally do all the work for you. It’s free to get started, and a reasonable $9.99 design fee if you order the book.

Since Shutterfly custom photo book prices are low to start with and they regularly offer big discounts, this is a great way to order books if you’re a few years behind on getting it done.

Related:  18 very cool personalized gifts for adults – all with fast shipping!

Chatbooks Custom Photo Books (starting at $10…sometimes less)

If you want to do as little work as possible, The Chatbooks service is smart — their original custom photo book is a fully automated monthly subscription in which you hook up your camera roll to their free app  (iOS or Android), subscribe, and automatically get a beautiful 30-photo mini album (or Monthbooks  album) mailed to you or a relative, each month for just $5 a month — or $10/15 for the larger Monthbook.

Similarly, Chatbooks offers an Instagram photo series book  (starting at $10), which pulls your Insta snaps into 60-photo albums that only go to print when you’ve uploaded those 60 snaps.

For something more traditional, check out their Premium Layflat Photo Book , a custom photo book with up to 100 premium, archival pages of photos that also can be flowed right in from Instagram, Facebook, Google Photos, Dropbox, Flickr, or your own computer’s photo library.

And, depending on what you tend to post on Facebook (ahem), they also now let you turn your favorite Facebook posts into a photo book. Good idea, if your’e considering leaving the platform but want to keep some favorite photos and posts in hard copy somewhere.

Snapfish Custom Photo Books (starts at $12.99)

If you’ve tried scrapbooking and it just isn’t for you, Snapfish, like Shutterfly, may be what you’re looking for. They offer lots of ready-made template pages, along with options to add in hundreds of embellishments — i.e. fancy clip art designed by the likes of Martha Stewart and Sirron Norris, all to give your book a more personal, scrapbook-y feel. So if modern designs feel “empty” to you and you’re a more is more kind of person, this may be right for you.

One of the big plusses is the ability to design your books (or other photo gifts  from ornaments to mugs to t-shirts) right from the Snapfish app .

Admittedly, the quality of the photo books isn’t quite what you’ll get from Artifact Uprising, Blurb, or Pinhole Press, though they have improved over the years. However, they offer decent books at solidly low prices — Hardcover books start at $39.99, and that $12.99 will get you a 5×7″ softcover. With Snapfish, keep an eye out for frequent discount codes too.

Minted Custom Photo Booklet Cards (starts at $2.52/ea for 25)

While Minted doesn’t specifically offer custom photo albums, they do offer some wonderful   7-page mini-booklet photo cards  — basically mini custom photo books you can send to everyone you love over the holidays. While you do have to order a minimum of 25, they start at just around $2.50 each, which is pretty sweet. Plus, all their designs support the artists and designers who make them.

It’s a terrific option when you want to make a custom photo book, but have quite a few people on your list you’d like to send one too. We also want to mention Minted’s custom photo cover journals . Especially since you can include multiple photos on a cover, they give you that sweet photo book feeling, only with a more practical use than just a coffee table book.

Related:  20 unique personalized gifts for kids, from toddlers to teens

Artkive Photo Books of Children’s Art (starts at $75 plus box fee)

With so many of us using photo books to preserve our children’s artwork, we have to give a nod to the Artkive Photobook service.

This dad-run service has become parents’ go-to way to digitally preserve our kids’ artwork and they do a lovely job. As in, they do the entire job, pretty much. You carefully pack a box of your children’s masterpieces, send them in, and Artkive does the rest for you from professional photography and editing, to designing the book, to sharing a digital proof.

Just know you definitely pay for this service — the box itself costs $39, and you’ll pay an additional fee if you want the artwork returned to you. (Some parents are really fine just having the photographs.)  From there, the photo books cost $75 for 25 photos.

They also offer framed mosaic prints, which recently received an Oprah seal of approval. Though we’ve been recommending them for years. In fact, find their Lifekive Heirloom keepsake prints service in our guide to best gifts for Grandparents  from small businesses.

Written by Cool Mom Team

We spend our time looking for cool stuff, fun finds, and helpful info just for you. Hope this one fits the bill. Bio Twitter Instagram

FOREVER Print should be on this list! It offers the best photo book quality I have ever found. It uses archival-quality materials that will last for generations without fading or deteriorating. Also has tons of templates & size options and is reasonably priced. I have been using FOREVER Print for over a year and highly recommend!

Thanks for the great insight to the various companies. I’m curious to know your process. We have photos on my phone, my husbands phone and from our digital camera. Do you combine your photos into one spot to make sure your books don’t miss images from the various sources? Thanks!

Hi Jessica, with the books that auto-create books from a social photo feed, you can only enter a single feed for them to draw from. If you’re creating your own books however, you can upload your own photos from multiple sources. Check each company’s FAQ because they each differ.

Ditto what Liz said…but I will add that since my husband and I both have Apple accounts, we merge them with our family sharing so all of his photos show up in my feed too. That makes it easier to make sure we have all our photos when it’s time for a photo book!

Thanks for your article. So I want to do a yearbook of my Facebook and/or Instagram posts. I’ve heard of Pastbook, My Social Book, Chatbook, ZNO Timeline book…. I also heard FB no longer allows captions to be exported to these books? Any advice on where I should begin? I’m a bit overwhelmed in deciding which platform to use.

What company is the book towards top with “happy” on it.? Thank you for the reviews 🙂

Hi, Shannon! The link to the company (Artifact Uprising) is directly underneath that photo. They make beautiful albums!

I wanted to do a history of the family with pictures. Do any of these work with quite a bit of text? Thanks

My young one’s elementary class used an Artkive-like book maker called Scribble ( https://scribble.art ). Our teacher was in love with it because they use fancy tech to clean up all the images from your phone. They are fairly new and are willing to give large discounts to teachers!

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9 Best Photo Book Websites

Don't let your favorite photos go to waste — use these top-tested online services and turn them into keepsake albums.

We've been independently researching and testing products for over 120 years. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more about our review process.

Best Overall

Shutterfly photo books.

Walmart Photo Custom Photo Books

Most Aesthetic

Artifact uprising photo books.

Best for Themes

Mixbook photo books.

Best for Beginners

Printique photo books.

Best for Amazon Prime Members

Amazon prints.

Best for Young Kids

Pinhole press photo books.

Best for Google Photo Users

Google photo books.

Best for Families

Chatbooks custom photo books & albums.

Photo albums create a tangible and lasting archive of memories — ultimately proving to be more durable and accessible than the mess of digital files on your phone and computer. Plus, a custom photo book can be a thoughtful and unique gift for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, or other special events.

Online photo book services make it easy and quick to choose a theme or layout, upload photos and ship the book straight to the recipient. Best of all, some photo book makers even have apps so you can upload photos directly from your smartphone.

Shutterfly offers basic photo books at an affordable price. You can choose from a wide selection of themes, like birthday, travel or wedding, or neutral styles , such as modern or rustic. You can also create your own book and choose the book size, cover style and page style, then embellish it with Shutterfly's extensive library of stickers and ribbons to make your book extra special. We appreciate how easily users can edit within their chosen template and the brand's high-quality photo book paper, making Shutterfly a top pick.

You can also opt for one of its 6" x 6" Instant Books , which let you add photos from your phone, tablet or computer in minutes. These mini photo books have only 20 pages, but they're a great place to store goofy candids or Instagram posts you never want to forget. The possibilities are essentially limitless, though the vast array of options could be overwhelming for those getting started.

If you don't want the pressure of deciding on a layout, the brand offers a convenient Make My Book option, in which Shutterfly's professional designers curate your photos and design the book for free. Plus, you'll still have the opportunity to put finishing touches on it before it gets printed. Whether you opt for 50 or 800 photos (the maximum), you'll receive an email notification within 24 hours that your book is complete.

Crunched for time? Design your photo book online and pick up select styles at a Walmart store near you in as little as one hour. Photo books picked up in one hour can have 15 single-sided pages and a linen cover, while same-day pickups (ready in a few hours) can have up to 20 double-sided pages and the option of a hardcover.

On top of the speedy turnaround, Walmart has a great selection of styles : You can choose everything from the photo size and layout to the type of cover, including hardcover glossy or matte, linen, leather and lay-flat glossy or matte. If you need help narrowing down the choices, there's also the option to shop by occasion, whether you're looking for a one-year anniversary or 15th-year anniversary gift .

Despite the fast shipping and variety, our tester noted that the quality was not as high as the options offered by other photo book makers on this list — but that may be expected considering the bargain price tag. Regardless, these photo books still make a superb present that can cost under $10 without compromising on sentimentality.

No matter the occasion, you can't go wrong with one of Artifact Uprising's high-quality photo books. There are numerous design options, including preset books to celebrate the birth of a new baby or commemorating a marriage.

You can choose from lay-flat albums, books with photo strips and even softcover Instagram Friendly Books for the influencer in your life. The company even has an iPhone app that lets you create a photo book right from your smartphone. However, Rothman found the app to be glitchy at times and noted there's room for improvement with the software. Still, the books come out on top for elegance and simplicity .

One online reviewer wrote, "The fabric cover is beautiful. The photos are amazing quality and look amazing even though the photos were taken on film and therefore are a bit grainy." The overall 4.6-star rating (out of 5) backs up that review. Quality and elevated designs come with a higher price tag, but there are options for $20 or less if you're shopping on a budget.

If you have a special project and a little more money to spend, Artifact Uprising offers Design Services , which allow you to work one-on-one with an expert to bring your special moments to life. Just note that the design fee is rather steep at $119 and requires an additional $100 album deposit.

When Mixbook says it has "custom photo books for every occasion," it really means it. There are 374 different themed templates to choose from, including everything f rom travel and sports to weddings and recipes.

But that doesn't mean you have to give up creative control. You can still customize the look to your liking, from fun backgrounds to stickers to text using the Editor tool. Plus, there are plenty of paper varieties, from semigloss to ultra-thick matte.

Our testers appreciated the nice balance between good photo editing and price, but one did experience issues with the lay-flat option, in which the photos bled into the crease. You can also use the iPhone app to organize your photos with a tool that the brand calls "Automagic": Simply choose the images you want and select a theme. The goal of Automagic is to help arrange your camera roll so your photos are in order when it comes time to add them to your photo book.

If you're not sure where to start, our pros love Printique because it's super easy to use. You can select one of the many predesigned layouts or create an entire photo book from scratch.

Choose among portrait, landscape and square orientations, as well as hardcover and softcover options. You can even store your memories in a genuine leather or vegan leather book or pick from five different fabric colors. Although you can't choose the color for a hard- or softcover photo book, you can still customize the shape, size and paper type.

Looking for something more advanced? There'sa tool for professional photographers to design and create their own photo books. But if you want to keep things simple, consider starting with one of Printique's 4" x 4" Mini Softcover photo books , which have a maximum of 40 pages and come in three sizes.

Is Amazon Photos already your preferred destination for uploading photos? Then creating a photo book through its interface is an easy solution.

Similar to other photo book makers, you can create by occasion and size, or choose its 8" x 8" Premium Photo Book for a versatile option that has a laminated cover and lay-flat binding. There's also an option with standard binding at a lower cost, and all Amazon Prime members get free shipping . (Everyone else is eligible for free shipping with a minimum order of $15.)

In addition to photo books, you can shop large prints, calendars, cards and metal tabletops. There are fewer size and style options than most services when it comes to photo books, but the other photo product choices make up for the lack of available styles. After all, sometimes it's easier and quicker to have fewer options to choose from if you need to pull something together last-minute.

RELATED: 37 Best Personalized Gifts You Can Find on Amazon

With Pinhole Press, you can choose from various photo book styles ranging from board pages to softcovers to accordion-style setups. Upload your photos and let the system do the work, or manually place the photos into the layout yourself.

One of our testers says her kids love the Custom Board Books , which have themes such as " Count With Me ," " Healthy Habits " and " I Can Be Anything ." These photo books aren't just visually stimulating, but they can also educate and entertain kids for years to come .

"I got my daughter the ' My First Photo Book ' as a toddler and made it all about her — like pictures with family, doing things she likes, her favorite toys, at the playground and beach, etc. — and she still is obsessed with it," says GH Institute Executive Director Lexie Sachs .

We think he custom Photo Puzzle is a fun option for kids, and the Itty Bitty Books are easy to tote around in a work bag for on-hand entertainment. There's less variety in some categories, including Itty Bitty and hardcover books, but with so many additional photo categories other companies lack, there are still plenty of great options for kids.

RELATED: 12 Best Personalized Books for Kids

If you store your snaps in Google Photos, then Google's very own photo book maker might be the most convenient option for you. Even though there are no fancy designs, the process is seamless.

Choose from two options: a 7" x 7" softcover photo book or a 9" x 9" hardcover photo book. You can include between 20 and 140 pages, and you have the option to add a spine title if you hit more than 48 pages for a softcover or any number of pages for a hardcover.

Another hallmark of Google Photos is that you can make one photo book and order multiple copies to give to family members and friends who are also pictured in the photos. Since they come at an affordable price point, you could give everyone on your gift list a copy, whether you decide to create a collection of candid photos for your closest friends or a tangible memento of a fun family trip. Though there may not be as many designs and styles to choose from, that can make the customization process less daunting.

Chatbooks Custom Photo Books & Albums

"Set and forget it," one of our testers said about the ease of using Chatbooks, which markets itself as "ridiculously easy." You can upload images from Instagram, Flickr, Dropbox, Facebook or your computer and edit them on your desktop or via the app .

The service's Custom Photo Books & Albums option is great for families looking to personalize a family vacation , as you can choose colors, layouts, cover styles, collages, captions and more. Peruse its vast collection of more than 300 unique book covers, or shop the premium lay-flat and special occasion photo books.

You can also have fun with the Instagram and Facebook series — a 6" x 6" or 8" x 8" book with 60 pages — that lets you store your favorite social media posts in a tangible place to look back on for years to come.

Unique to Chatbooks is its subscription service, which allows you to receive a softcover, hardcover or mini photo book each month. If you and your family love taking photographs of walks in the park, weekend road trips or vacations, this service is ideal for getting your photos in your hands ASAP. One thing to note about the subscription option is that there are only two sizes available (5" x 7" and the monthly mini).

How we chose the best photo book makers

At the Good Housekeeping Institute , our pros in the Media & Tech Lab have been testing photo book makers for more than a decade . For this article, we referenced a robust test of photo book makers we completed in 2009 and ordered a round of new products to test in 2023. We also researched the latest updates and offerings to a variety of apps and services.

When choosing the best photo book makers, our Lab experts consider ease of use, performance and appearance . That means our pros take an in-depth look at a wide range of features, such as how easy it is to navigate the interface and add photos and text to the book; upload and delivery time; the number of styles, covers and templates offered; and the photo, paper and binding quality.

What to look for when shopping for the best custom photo book maker

Keep the following features in mind when choosing the right photo book maker website for your needs:

✔️ Size: Whether you're looking for a small photo book for kids or a much larger album to house snapshots from a long family vacation, there are regular, large and miniature photo book sizes available. It's best to think about how many photos you want to include and where you plan to store the album (i.e., will the book be too tall for your bookshelf or just right on top of your coffee table?).

✔️ Shape: Most photo books are rectangular or square in shape, but some companies also offer photo puzzles, calendars and tabletops to choose from too. The shape is really about aesthetic preference and the orientation you prefer for your photos.

✔️ Page count: Are you compiling 20 photos from your daughter's first-birthday party? Or are you putting together an anniversary album of pictures of you and your partner throughout the years? The number of pages determines the number of photos you can include in an album, so you have enough space to include everything.

✔️ Paper quality: This is probably a no-brainer, as the quality of material your photos are printed on is as important as the quality of the photos themselves. Although companies with higher-quality paper, like Artifact Uprising , may have a higher price tag, the extra money goes toward paper that won't lead to photos bleeding into the crease. But there are still services that are affordable and offer good-quality products, like our best value pick, Walmart Photo .

✔️ Binding quality: Some companies, like Google Photo , will add a binding to your photo album. This feature is especially important when considering the durability and longevity of your photo album. Whether it's a softcover, hardcover or lay-flat book, make sure the binding can withstand accidental drops and the wear and tear of passing the family album around at holiday parties.

✔️ Templates: If your photo album will have a certain theme or be centered around a specific occasion — or it's your first time using a photo book maker — choosing a service that has a variety of templates to choose from will let your creativity flow and also help you warm up to the design process.

✔️ Editing capabilities: When looking at beginner-level or more advanced designer tools, consider how robust or simple they are to use. Having lots of control over the interface is fun, but if you're looking for a more straightforward experience, opt for a service that does the majority of the decision-making for you or offers designer help, like Shutterfly .

What is the easiest way to make a custom photo book?

It really depends upon the service and your preference .

Although some online custom photo book makers also have an app, it can have limited functionality, be buggy or not as easy to use as the desktop equivalent. Often, an app makes it super simple to upload pictures from your phone (a major plus!) but doesn't allow as much flexibility for product assortment or editing once you've selected. That said, designing a photo book on your smartphone or tablet versus a desktop may come down to how many edits you intend to make .

If you plan to do a lot of editing, the non-app version on a larger screen would likely be your best choice. If you want to quickly make a book with limited changes, an app on your mobile device may be the way to go.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

Elizabeth Berry is an updates editor at the Good Housekeeping Institute , where she ensures product reviews reflect accurate information. To update this guide, Elizabeth gathered notes from previous tests and researched the latest updates to our favorite services.

A previous version of this guide was written by Amina Lake Abdelrahman , a product review writer and editor who worked as an editorial assistant at the Good Housekeeping Institute from 2018 to 2020.

Elizabeth Berry is the editorial assistant for WomansDay.com, where she writes and edits lifestyle content. When she isn’t assisting with day-to-day editorial needs, Elizabeth is baking dairy-free cakes, reading books, or strolling through nature.

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• Here are the best custom photo book services
• Most user-friendly
• Best for professionals
• Fastest turnaround
• Highest quality

The 5 best custom photo book services to help you preserve your memories

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We've grown accustomed to having nearly every photo we've ever taken at our fingertips and while smartphone and cloud storage is great, there's something wonderful and cozy about reliving memories over a beautiful photo album. 

But nostalgia isn't the only benefit of photo books— you can compile photos taken from multiple sources, tell a story, or create a memorable gift. Custom photo books let us layout our favorite pictures to our exact liking. With themed styles, countless cover choices, and customizable designs, we can capture our memories in a beautiful, bound book. 

We've chosen five of our favorite custom photo book services you can use to make your own album. They offer a range of products with different levels of customization and quality so you can choose the right service for you whether your priority is printing speed, user-friendliness, quality, design options, or price.

Our picks for the 5 best custom photo book services

Best value: Shutterfly Shutterfly is a major photo service platform where you can get prints, design holiday cards, create home decor, and make photo books. It offers dozens of pre-made themed styles as well as the option to completely customize your book. 

Most user-friendly: Mixbook You can start with one of Mixbook's trendy themes or a blank book, choose a landscape, square, or portrait layout, and start adding pictures to its many layout options. 

Best for professionals: Blurb Blurb is designed for amateur and professional photographers, so it works with Adobe InDesign, Lightroom, and Photoshop for the highest quality prints and highest design control. 

Fastest turnaround: Walgreens Walgreens offers a basic, beginner-friendly, and quick custom photo book service. The editor is simple and very easy to use with an overall "fun" feel.

Highest quality: Printique Printique is a great high-quality photo book option for non-professionals, offering leather and fabric covers and only using professional photo and inkjet paper to ensure your photos are printed at their best.

Best value: Shutterfly

Shutterfly is a major photo service platform where you can get prints, design holiday cards, create home decor, and make photo books. It offers dozens of pre-made themed styles as well as the option to completely customize your book. 

Once you choose a size, type of cover, and page type, Shutterfly offers you to "Make it Fast" or "Make it Manually"— either using its shortcuts or a fully customizable layout. 

Shutterfly also offers a "Make My Book" free designer service that's still customizable but removes most of the leg work. You can choose your style and photos, include any special requests, and edit or accept the final product that's guaranteed in three business days or less. 

Browse Shutterfly's photo books here .

Most user-friendly: Mixbook

Mixbook has been rated as many people's favorite custom photo book service because its design system is extremely intuitive and user-friendly. 

You can start with one of their trendy themes or a blank book, choose a landscape, square, or portrait layout, and start adding pictures to its many layout options. 

Mixbook has a huge collection of stickers, designs, and fonts but it also lets you upload your own stickers or backgrounds to make it even more personal. Plus, you can invite others to collaborate on your photo book so they can upload and add their own photos or pages.

Browse Mixbook's photo books here .

Best for professionals: Blurb

Blurb is designed for amateur and professional photographers, so it works with Adobe InDesign, Lightroom, and Photoshop for the highest quality prints and highest design control. 

It also offers its own downloadable design tool which allows for full creative control but isn't very beginner-friendly if you're looking for a "drag and drop" template.

Blurb is great for professional-looking photo books or high-quality gifts. And if you're looking to self-publish your photography: it'll even help you list your book on Amazon and bulk order your product.

Browse Blurb's photo books here .

Fastest turnaround: Walgreens

Walgreens offers a basic, beginner-friendly, and quick custom photo book service. The editor is simple and very easy to use with an overall "fun" feel.

Walgreen's photo books are almost fully customizable and the tools in its editor are neatly organized, which is great for not overwhelming the designer but can arguably make it a little hard to find exactly what you're looking for. 

Though the same-day pick-up is extremely convenient, it does mean quality can be lacking (though it may not be obvious). For example, the fast "flat lay" books aren't bound as a true flatlay but are constructed to give a flat appearance. The photos themselves may also print imperfectly and the quality of your book can heavily depend on your Walgreens location and the experience of the photo team.

Browse Walgreens' photo books here .

Highest quality: Printique

Printique is a great high-quality photo book option for non-professionals, offering leather and fabric covers and only using professional photo and inkjet paper to ensure your photos are printed at their best.

You can choose linen, metallic, or pebble-textured pages in addition to its glossy, matte, and best-selling Luster options. The only things less customizable are the photo layouts themselves: Printique requires the photographs to take center stage rather than stickers, words, or themed designs. 

Though all of Printique's options are already high quality, you can upgrade to a Premium album which is built, bound, and printed a little differently so it has a luxurious feel through every page. Premium albums are customized similarly but have different design options available such as a metal album cover and are created with longevity in mind.

Browse all of Printique's photo books here .

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

• Main content

The best photo books in 2024: create a personalized picture album online

The best photo books not only make excellent gifts but are a great way of storing your most treasured memories

Best print quality

Best for discounts, best top-end photo book, best for busy people, best budget option, best turnaround time, best color accuracy, best for social photos, best for worldwide shipping, best for smartphones, photo book creation advice.

It's never too early to think about the festive season – and the best photo books are a great way to gift your loved ones something sentimental and personal (without breaking the bank!). Whether you want to create a wonderful round-up of your friend or family member's favorite memories or celebrate a specific event, the best photo books are the perfect gift.

1. Best print quality 2. Best for discounts 3. Best top-end photo book 5. Best budget option 6. Best turnaround time 7. Best color accuracy 8. Best for social photos 9. Best for worldwide shipping 10. Best for smartphones

A photo book isn't just a great gift though – it's also a lovely way to celebrate your own memories and experiences. Plus, with all of the customizable features and stylish templates available, you can make your photo book truly unique. We particularly enjoy the ability to create your own custom front cover, which truly adds a little extra polish.

• How to create a photo book

Many of the services available here give users the choice between auto-filling the pages of their photo book, or manually arranging the images themselves. If you don't need your book in a specific order, being able to automatically fill the pages can be a fantastic time-saver.

To help you find the best photo book service for you, we've reviewed and rated each of the products in this guide. We've tested each service based on the quality of their books, the speed of the shipping and how functional and user-friendly their photo book creator tools are. Discover our favorites below…

The best photo books in 2024

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

1. Printique

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Printique is the online service of Adorama, the well-known photo store in New York. And the company's expertise in photo printing is obvious in the quality of its products and finish it delivers. If you're looking to create a professional photography portfolio, you'd be hard-pushed to find a better photo book service to do it.   

The best photo book options are available in square, portrait and landscape format, in 14 different sizes, plus there are six paper weights to choose from. All of the hardcover, fabric, and leather photo books options have pages that lay flat, which, unlike other companies on this list, Printique doesn't charge extra for. 

The Printique photo editor interface looks a little busy, but is fairly intuitive and easy to use, clearly highlighting book edges, where and how to upload images, and add special features including stickers, shapes and frames. The only slight downside to this service is the lack of editing options after a product has been added to the cart, so make sure you're completely finished creating your book before doing so.

See our full Printique review

When it comes to the best photo book service Mixbook are hard to beat. Their products are available to ship worldwide, it regularly runs big discounts making it very good value. The Mixbook software is very easy to use and it can all be done on your web browser. Choose from over 400 fully customizable templates plus there are lots of backgrounds and stickers you can include to make it really unique. 

There are three different paper finishes to choose from, semi-gloss, pearl and an ultra-thick premium matte paper if you want a lay-flat photo book. We ordered the 8.5 x 8.5-inch classic square glossy hardcover book and found the process very easy. Uploading images was quick and it didn't take long to arrange them.

When the photo book arrived we noticed there was some fringing on the edges of the cover image and the logo. We also spotted some color inaccuracies, especially on the cover which has a red tinge to it. However, most of our issues were with the cover of the book. The images printed on the inside were true-to-color and printed nicely. Plus, the design and layout of the book were genuinely beautiful and helped bring the photos to life. 

We think Saal makes some of the best photo books, at least as far as the very top-end ones go. The  Saal Professional Line Photo Book  is bloody epic. The first thing I love is that Saal probably has the best design software of any printing company. You can create designs with your own software and upload them as PDFs, but Saal’s downloadable desktop software makes life incredibly easy for uploading, editing, adding text and graphic elements, and moving pages around.

The presentation box is utterly stunning, made of a premium leatherette material. The same leatherette finish can also be used for the back and spine of the Professional Line photobook, echoing a consistent level of quality. You can choose any number of finishes for the front cover, but we were blown away by the acrylic cover – it’s thick, hardwearing, looks great, and simply screams quality. 

The whole thing is finished by hand, and is a step above any other premium finish out there – especially since there are no unsightly logos or branding, unlike other print houses. With layflat binding, the pages on the photo book are completely even – making them perfect for laying a big, beautiful landscape or panoramic image across a double-page spread. Pages can be finished in matte or gloss, but my favorite is the silk, which makes portraits looks particularly lavish. 

Colors are authentic, lively and full of pop, even if your images have the most psychedelic palettes, and blacks are deep and rich while retaining plenty of detail.From the instant you open the presentation box to the moment you turn the final page, Saal’s pro photo books are just next-level wow.

4. Shutterfly

Shutterfly is a fantastic option for anyone who wants really simple-to-use software to create a professional-looking photo book. There are lots of templates and background to choose from plus a Many My Book service where you can supply your images and design ideas and Shutterfly designers will do all the hard work for you. 

Shutterfly also offers a number of great discounts throughout the year, so if your need for a photo book isn't immediate, a good offer is always just around the corner.

5. Snapfish

Snapfish has been in the personalized printing business for more than two decades and offer a range of products including photo books. The software is an easy drag-and-drop experience and you can pick from 120 themes. 

The quality of the Snapfish photo book isn't quite as good as other on the list but it regularly offers pretty hefty discounts so if you don't need it straight away look out for these. We were pleased with the photobook we received although the colors seemed to be accurate they were a little more saturated so be careful if you're sending in images that are already highly saturated. We also noticed a couple of wonky prints and once you spotted them they were so hard to unsee. 

If you're after a super high-quality finish, look elsewhere but if color accuracy and value for money is your game, Snapfish is a great option. 

6. Walgreens Photo

Walgreens Photo is one of the best photo book sites to use to make a quick and simple custom photo book. And by quick we mean the same day if you're able to pick it up. Its easy-to-use editor means you can put your design together in no time, and with the company constantly running discount offers, it won't break the bank either.

If you want a photo book in a hurry, you always run the risk of sacrificing quality. And while other services on this list undoubtedly offer a superior finish, Walgreen's still offers a very decent service in terms of print production and value for money.  

7. Mimeo Photos

Mimeo Photos offers both a third-party Photos app extension for MacOS, allowing you to create and edit an Apple Photo project to be printed, and a web-based builder. There are over 50 theme options, including well-known Apple favorites and you can customize layouts and backgrounds for your own personal touch. You can also apply edits, adjustments and filters to any photo directly within the app's design page. 

We created our photo book using the Mimeo Photos app. Once we'd downloaded the app extension, the software itself was relatively easy to use. However, where Mimeo Photos really shone was in the quality of the book we received. We ordered a hard cover book, which arrived with an attractive dust jacket (although the cover image was also printed on the actual cover of the book as well). 

The only gripe we have about this book was that the saturation seems to have been pushed up for the front cover image, as the skin tones on both the dust jacket and the hard cover itself became a luminescent orange. However, the photos inside the book were beautifully printed. They were nice and sharp, with none of the fuzziness experienced in cheaper options. Unlike the front cover, the colors also printed accurately. 

8. My Social Book

My Social Book offers something slightly different from the rest – allowing you to create books from your Instagram or Facebook pictures, providing you a hardcopy of your favorite social media memories. 

The software is easy to use – as you simply link your chosen social media source to  My Social Book, and then choose the time frame you want your book to cover. Fortunately you can exclude those embarrassing posts and out-of-focus images, so that you only print the images you want. And you can also choose the image you want on the cover. However, we found the whole compilation process is rather slow - and the printing and delivery takes its time too.

However, the quality of the printing is much better than an average photo book printer – and this is a great way of ensuring that you have your camera phone pictures backed up in a physical form.

9. Vistaprint

Vistaprint is another experienced personalized photo printer with a lot of customizable options. For photo books, there are three different cover options to choose from including linen, leather and photo. You can also opt for either glossy r standard matte paper. There are two ways to design your book, either using the web-based builder or you can download the offline editor from the Vistaprint website. 

Both are fairly intuitive to use, but Vistaprint's downside is there aren't as many options to choose from as other manufacturers. It does have several options for backgrounds, clip art and frames you can use but they're not the most stylish. 

The web-based builder gives users the opportunity to design their own book from scratch, or have the builder fill in the pages for them. Most other manufacturers offer this service and Vistaprint's isn't much different than the rest – it's a little hit-and-miss. Some pages will look nicely put-together, while others might seem clunky. 

Overall, Vistaprint offers some affordable options for photo books. But if you're looking for more sophisticated design choices, you might want to go for a different manufacturer, such as Mixbook.

Blurb might not have a web-based photo book builder but it does have a lot of other things going for it. For example, unlike any other service on the list, once you create your book with Blurb you can then sell it to other people. This is great if you're a photographer as you can easily self-publish your work and sell it through the Blurb bookstore. There's no need for a traditional publisher and you'll keep more of what you earn. 

Blurb isn't the cheapest by any means but it's still pretty reasonable. Prices start at $21.99 for a 20-page book with each additional page costing $0.25. Blurb offers a range of finishing options including a softcover, hardcover or just jacket plus six different paper choices. If you're unsure what to pick, you can order a swatch kit to make sure you're happy with your choice. 

There are a variety of ways you can create your photobook masterpiece including a plug-in for Adobe InDesign and BookWright, Blurb's unique desktop software. There isn't an online web-builder but Blurb does have an intuitive app for iPhone and iPad that works pretty well. The design templates seemed a little limited so if you wanted to create a super personalized book, one of the other services will probably suit your needs better.

How to choose the best photo book service

If you've made it to the bottom of the list of best photo book services and you're still not sure which one to pick, don't worry! With so many different providers offering so many different book sizes, designs and paper options, it's natural to feel a bit overwhelmed at all of the choice. However, to figure out which service to go with, we'd recommend figuring out exactly what it is you want.

Are you after a super affordable service with speedy shipping? Then Mixbook might just be the provider for you. Alternatively, perhaps you just want the best quality possible? If so, Printique offers excellent print quality with a professional service. 

However, there are features beyond image quality and great shipping to be aware of. User functionality is a key part of creating a good photo book, as you need to be able to navigate the photo book creator tool with ease. Here are some tips to help you make the most of whichever service you end up using:

• You don't need to prepare your pictures in any particular way. Regular JPEGs are fine.

• Some photo book services offer book design tools in your own web browser, others offer free apps you download and run on your computer.

• Your pictures may be cropped. This may apply if you're using multi-photo page templates or printing a picture right up to the edges of the page (borderless).

• Some books come with a lay-flat binding, which makes them easier to leave open.

• You will usually get a choice of paper finish. Glossy paper is good for contrast and color, matte paper is better at hiding fingerprints and reflections, soft-sheen lustre papers offer a good middle-ground compromise.

• We have listed our choice of the best US photobook services – however many of these will ship worldwide.

How to create a good photo book

1. Select your photos  

To make the photo book design process as smooth as possible, we'd recommend selecting all of the images you want to include beforehand. If some of your desired photos are on your phone, it'll definitely make your life easier transferring them to your computer ahead of time!

2. Choose your design

The majority of the best photo book websites have hundreds of potential designs for you to choose from. This might seem overwhelming at first, but you can usually narrow the selection down into different sections, such as weddings, travel, family and more. When choosing your template, we would recommend thinking about what your own photos look like – if they're super busy and colorful, you might want to go for a simpler design to help your images pop.

3. Arrange your photos

What do your favorite books all have in common? They all have a narrative – and so should your photo book. While we're not asking you to construct Macbeth-level storylines, a beginning, middle and end will help your photo book feel coherent and more enjoyable. The simplest way to do this is often construct the photo book in a generally chronological order.

4. Make bold design choices

If you're a fan of scrapbooking, you'll love the stickers and text functionality that many photo book services provide. However, we would caution against overuse, as you don't want to overshadow your photos! 

Best photo frames Best digital photo frames Best gifts for photographers Best photo calendars The best photo printing online Best photo albums Best photo gifts

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Having studied Journalism and Public Relations at the University of the West of England Hannah developed a love for photography through a module on photojournalism. She specializes in Portrait, Fashion and lifestyle photography but has more recently branched out in the world of stylized product photography. For the last 3 years Hannah has worked at Wex Photo Video as a Senior Sales Assistant using her experience and knowledge of cameras to help people buy the equipment that is right for them. With 5 years experience working with studio lighting, Hannah has run many successful workshops teaching people how to use different lighting setups.

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Boon Vong ~ Journal

Costco (fujifilm) 12×12″ lay flat photo book review and impressions, costco (printed by fujifilm usa) 12×12″ lay flat photo book review and impressions, update: good things don’t last.  costco and fujifilm no longer offers this product and have shifted to shutterfly for their photo products..

Costco (printed by Fujifilm USA) 12×12 inch Glossy Hardcover Lay flat photo books of my work

Hey everyone, happy new year!  I attained a personal milestone about a year ago, which was I went back through my entire archive and re-edited and sorted all my photos from the last 13 years.  That’s a lot of images.  It took me over a year and a half to go through probably close to half a million just to end up with a few hundred thousand decent ones.  While it is cool to have it all neatly organized into one iPhoto library on a laptop that fits into a manila envelope, I decided to really do something with my favorite images, adventures, and moments in my life–which is to turn them into nice photo books.

I’ve tried many printing services over the years.  from wolf camera and walmart 1 hr labs, to shutterfly, to mypublisher, to mixbook, to adoramapix.  i would have to say i’m happy settling on the 12×12″ lay flat books you can order/create through costco.  yes, the same place i go to get my normal high quality prints, and my hot dog and drink combo for $1.59 🙂, here’s what i like about these books:, they start at $39.99 + tax.  the books have a minimum of 30 pages, and extra pages (which are considered a double page spread) is an extra $1.99  (don’t confuse this 12×12″ book with the lower priced 11×14″ and 8×8″.  those are not good at all, and are printed with lower quality technology), the books are not the top tier thick true layflats that you see in $150-$400 wedding books, but they are more than good enough., the glossy prints look good to me.  i’ve always edited/color graded my photos for print, and these images have the same richness of color and contrast of the ones i see on my screen.  the chemical process really does something to the pictures., unlike other printing places there is no logo that you can’t remove (mixbook i’m looking at you), and thankfully you don’t have to pay an extra fee to have a logo removed/replaced (adoramapix/shutterfly i’m looking at you…).  you can also put an image onto page 1 (right facing first page).  (there is a barcode on the inside back cover though), the interface to make the books is web based, and a lot simpler than adoramapix with its more fancy graphic designer features, but i actually like it.  i always start off with a blank layout and just get to work.  if i need fancier layouts or better typefaces i can always design in a separate software and upload that image.  the costco photo center website supports .jpg .tiff and .png.  i’ve uploaded 30mb jpegs and it doesn’t reject it., the books are printed at fujifilm usa in nearby south carolina  on fuji crystal archive paper back to back so the paper stock is pretty rigid.  i can get the books in about 5 business days.  shipping is about $6, and each extra book on the same order is only $.50 more, you can skip the shipping charge and have it shipped to your local costco warehouse with a photo lab.  where you can pick up the book and also get a $1.50 hotdog/drink combo and $2 slice of pizza 😀, here’s some things you might not like:, there’s only one size and paper option, glossy, sometimes the last page top section does not have enough adhesive, and if you or a child is rough with the handling of the books, it will come apart.  (i’ve let the higher ups know about this), the typeface options are not as robust as other sites, and some are too comical, but it’s workable.  you can put text on the spine of the book, but the only typeface allowed is “arvo.”  it’s not too bad. (correction, if you delete the text block and insert your own, you can have a pick of your typeface for the spine), the last thing is, like me, you might need to design a few before you get the hang of it.  towards the end of this long post is an example of how to place the image bounding box if you want clean edge to edge layouts.  (costco also has downloadable color profiles if you want), all in all, this solution works for me because i have a huge backlog of personal books that i want to create.  all the silly and serious things that i’ve had the pleasure of experiencing in my life.  there will always be a market for the high end boutique photo albums, but i’d rather get to work, and really do something with these images that get uploaded and no real response except for the handful of “likes” and slight dopamine hit we all get.  i’ve said it before, the debate has never been about film vs digital, or now, certain digital sensors or another–it’s about the print.  it’s about making the memory something tangible.  we all have a mess of prints sitting in a shoebox or storage somewhere.  you just can’t get rid of prints.  even the protagonist in a hollywood futuristic film will still be clutching a real photographic print of a loved one.  take pictures of the people and things you care about and get off the social media popularity game 😉, it’s obviously impossible to see the quality of the prints via pictures of the books, but here are some samples of the ones i’ve printed for myself over the last few months.  i have about 30 sitting here at home, and have made many more for friends, family, and clients..

Costco 12×12″ Photo Book with 13″ MBP for scale

Fujifilm Camera + Fujifilm Books 😉

This is an example of the adhesive problem that I have in some books.  When I get them I usually put some weight/force on the back cover, and sometimes with Loctite adhesive to make it more sturdy.  I’ve found that you can’t make the books with too many pages either.  The sheer weight of the pages and the stress of flipping them can sometimes make the pages split.  I guess that’s one of the caveats of this $40+ photo book.

Below are examples of the online interface for working on the books.  i edit on a 21:9 monitor, which is just great for everything.  if you have never edited photos or done desktop publishing on this aspect ratio, i highly suggest it.  you really can’t go back to 16:9..

Found this “review” helpful or interesting? Please buy me some (fuji)film! 🙂

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FujiFilm (Costco) Metal Prints Review

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My 100 page event photography book, sam’s club 6×8″ window photo book, sam’s club misc prints, sam’s club (fujifilm) 8×8″ lay flat photo book review, sam’s club 4×6″ lay flat mini photo book review, sam’s club 6×6″ calendar review, costco 11.5×14″ calendar review, quarantine design project: “fake” lao new year magazine, quarantine design project: “fake” lifestyle magazine, related posts:.

Best photo books 2024

The very best photo books you can create from your own photos and order online

Easy to use, with plenty of designs to choose from and a high-quality finish, Mixbook is our top choice for photo books.

The best photo books can be the visual equivalent of a mixtape - curated with love and care, they are capable of evoking feelings and bringing back memories. And unlike a battered C90 in the tape deck of your car, they are only enhanced by the fact we all carry a smartphone in our pocket these days.

As a thoughtful gift for a loved one or family member, a photo book is hard to beat. Spend some time collecting images from special occasions, and you can guarantee a long-lasting, treasured reminder of happy days. They’re a versatile gift, endlessly adaptable to weddings, vacations, celebrations and more besides.

Any of the services we’ve collected here can create such a book for you, so we’ve tried and tested the best photo books, scoring them in terms of how good their print quality is, what the layout options for the pages were, and how quickly they could be printed and delivered. The image quality delivered by the finished article was the most important criterion, followed shortly by how versatile the book was. 

Mixbook comes in at the top of our rankings, but we didn’t find a digital photo book that was actually bad - they are all highly rated and your choice comes down to the one that best fits your needs.

Books aren’t the only digital printing options we’ve looked into. We have guides to the best photo cards , for when you want to send a special message with only one image attached, as well as the best greeting card software , for you to create your own.

1. Mixbook: Best photo book overall

Why you can trust Top Ten Reviews Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test .

Mixbook Photo Book

Our expert review:

Specifications

Reasons to buy, reasons to avoid.

Mixbook scored solidly across all of our testing categories. The photo books we received were of a high standard, with sharp pictures, accurate colours and quality paper. More importantly, the company has also got a really watertight guarantee, which allows you to return your product for a full refund if it doesn’t come up to scratch in any way.

Another reason we really like Mixbook is that it makes the whole process of creating a photo book feel fun. When we were reviewing services, we found that it takes roughly three hours to create and finish an album. But thanks to Mixbook’s brilliant array of designs, and its ability to easily pull pictures from multiple social media streams and computer drives, the whole activity felt like a breeze.

In addition to the thousands of backgrounds and stickers available, Mixbook also regularly releases new designs and has a genuinely engaging blog that’s populated with interesting tips. There are some Martha Stewart designs on there at the moment, along with posts detailing the best way to go about making a family recipe book. Of course, you can also start designing your book from an entirely blank canvas, too. 

When it comes to printing, Mixbook gives you eight book sizes and five cover materials to choose from. Handily, the site will give you a warning if your photos are too small and at risk of looking pixelated. You’ll also get a discount if you order a large number of photobooks and you can even rush shipping for an extra fee. 

• Read our Mixbook Photo Books review

2. Shutterfly: Best value photo books

This is a great budget option, with plenty of regular sales appearing on site and a base price that’s very reasonable, too. The compact 6 x 6 photo book option can cost as little as $19.98 and lets you print images across 20 pages. We found that the company delivered high quality goods. When we used the service to print our own book, it had great crisp images and excellent color reproduction. 

Like Mixbook, Shutterfly allows you to pull in images from your social media feeds, and you can also rush shipping if you need it printed in a hurry. However, do be aware that the refund isn’t quite as watertight as the one offered by Mixbook. Shutterfly will only refund you if the product is faulty - if you make a mistake, you’ll have to take the financial hit. 

The site doesn’t offer quite as many customization options as our top-rated photo book printing service, either. Although it has recently overhauled its book building experience, offering customers the chance to whizz through the process in a smaller amount of time. 

• Read our ShutterFly Photo Books review

3. Artifact Uprising: Best for high quality prints and gifts

Artifact Uprising

This definitely isn’t the cheapest option, but in our tests it scored the highest in terms of quality. Also of note is that this is the only service we tested that has a focus on sustainability, giving you the option to pick recycled paper for your prints.

You can produce some really beautiful hardcover books on this site, including vacation mementos and baby albums. A lot of the books come with the option of adding linen covers, which is a nice touch, and while it doesn’t have the widest selection of designs, the ones it does offer are really sleek, modern creations.

It also offers a bespoke service, where someone curates images and designs your layout for you. This can cost in excess of $100, though, so it’s not a service that everyone will want to use. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, Artifact Uprising also offers a softcover book starting from $15. But for this price, you could also get a more customizable product from somewhere like Shutterfly.

In general, we’d recommend Artifact Uprising for when you really want to go all out on an expensive, high quality product, as this is where the company excels.

4. Printique: Ideal for special occasions

This company is well known for its high standards. When we tested it out, it was miles ahead in terms of printing quality, yielding the best photo clarity and color accuracy of all the services we tested. However, that luxury comes at a cost – a 20 page, hardcover book will cost you $49.99 at minimum.

That’s why we recommend this option for when you really want to commemorate a special event. It’s perfect for wedding pictures, for example. You can choose between several different types of paper, including glossy, luster and deep matte varieties. So while $49.99 might sound like a lot, you really are getting the best quality out there. And like a lot of the other services in this guide, there are regular discounts available to bring down that price. 

There are thousands of design and layout choices to pick from, and it’s easy to pull in photos from places like Facebook, Google Photos, Flickr, Instagram, Dropbox and Amazon. It has a slightly complicated design process compared to other platforms, so it may take you a little longer to build something you're satisfied with (although if you’re committed to making the best photo book you can, we recommend you put aside a couple of hours for each project regardless.)

Printique offers 15 photo book sizes, whether landscape, portrait, square or horizontal-spine. It’s worth noting, though, that the book sizes are slightly unusual: for example, it sells an 8 x 12, 8 x 10 and 12 x 15 instead of the typical 8.5 x 11 or 11 x 14 options. 

5. Meijer Photo: Great for customer service

Meijer Photo

Meijer Photo is a US institution, and it is generally well loved by its satisfied customers. If you're buying a photo book from here you have the comfort of knowing that this is an established and trusted provider, and you can even visit a brick and mortar store if you want to collect quickly, or you have a problem with your order. While we didn't see any kind of money back guarantee with Meijer, we're fairly sure that most issues can be resolved quickly and easily in store.

Meijer has good print quality too, and its range of photo books - while limited - are good quality. You'll pay a low price for all photo products from here too, and if it wasn't for the frequent promotions run by sites like Mixbook and Shutterfly, this would rank as our cheapest provider overall.

The site is easy enough to use, but what Meijer really lacks is a wide variety of options when it comes to photo books. This is a pretty vanilla printing business, so lacks the range and features of more specialized providers. If you want to shop here because you know and trust Meijer, you'll get a good photo book, but there are better options out there.

6. Photobook: Best for versatility

If you want to get really creative with your photo book, then you'll need some software with a great range of tools. Photobook impresses in this area, the Malaysia-founded website providing an extensive palette with which you can design your masterpiece. Whether you're looking to expand, crop, rotate or put frames around your images, Photobook enables you to do it with ease. And if you do get stuck during the process, there are a bunch of 'how to' videos, along with a live chat service, to help you.

Our experts found that the images came out a little dark or grainy at times, but on the whole were satisfactory. Should you be disappointed with your final product, Photobook offers a 100% quality guarantee that enables customers to get a full refund if they're not entirely happy.

The other thing to say about Photobook is that it offers a huge range of other picture-based products, from calendars to kitchen aprons. There are also a number of branded items from your favorite high-street stores, which can be personalized with the name of your loved one for a gift that they're sure to cherish.

7. Snapfish: Best for extra photo gifts

Snapfish and Shutterfly have now technically been merged, but the companies remain distinct in terms of the services they offer. Snapfish is certainly still one of the largest photo printing services in the world - but this comes with advantages and disadvantages.

On the positive side of things, the company offers some great prices if you’re looking to bulk buy printed gifts. In addition to photo books, it also offers custom mugs, keyrings, pillows and face masks. Discounts regularly appear on site, so you can get some genuinely good offers here, especially if you need products printed for corporate events.

However, in our tests, the quality of the printing wasn’t quite as good as some of the company’s main competitors (like Mixbook.) Moreover, the experience of creating the photo book wasn’t as enjoyable. The site is a nightmare to navigate, with various pop-ups appearing on screen as you try to reach the checkout, pushing extra features and products. The designs aren’t as inspiring as competitors, either, as they’re all very basic. 

It’s a good option if you have simple needs, and want to prioritise saving money, but other services provide better quality.

8. Amazon Prints: A cheap service

Amazon Prints

Amazon Prints is a good option if you're looking to create a stylish and affordable photo book, as long as you’re not looking for the level of customisation offered by the services above. Our test photo book had a high print quality and was well built – despite it being the cheapest in our guide.

You can manually choose your backgrounds, stickers and the placement of your photos. The interface gives you the freedom to create your own layouts, and lets you crop and zoom into photos as you please. It also warns you if your photos are too low-res and will print blurry, which is helpful. The process, however, is very complicated and you may struggle to use it.

If you need to make a photo book in a hurry, you can choose from among the 13 pre-designed photo books and use the autofill feature. This photo book service also enables you to share images with other Amazon users to create collaborative photo projects.

It’s good to know that any purchases over $15 automatically receive free standard shipping. This can cost between $5 and $13 with other photo book services, so it’s a significant saving. Amazon Prints also offers a strong money-back guarantee. 

9. Walmart Photo Books: Very fast creation

Walmart Photo

If you need a photo book in a hurry, Walmart Photo is probably the best option for you. While the print quality isn’t as good as the other services, it's possible to create a book online or in-store and pick it up just an hour later. 

Walmart Photo is also one of the cheapest photo book services online. But, as you’d expect, the lower cost means lower quality and fewer options. You don’t get as much control or creative freedom as the other photo book creators in this guide, and the design tool is harder to use. For example, we couldn’t fit the cover image to the design window and so some of the people were cropped out and the photo became distorted. Nevertheless, if you need a photo book now , Walmart Photo is your best bet.

How much does a photo book cost?

The price of photobooks varies by service, as you might expect. But to get a good idea prices for a 20-page 8.5 x 11-inch book usually start at around the $30 mark and hit $46 at the top end.

The other factor to take into consideration with price is shipping, which is usually charged as extra. This can be as much as $10 so it's worth shopping around on this factor too. On top of that there can be tax added too, with as much as $8 added in our testing. All this varies by the number you order, how close you live to the printer and the state you live in.

Is it worth using a photo book printing service?

Despite all the costs mentioned, this is a service that pays for itself when you see the end result. No matter how good your home printer and arts-and-crafts skills might be, you'll struggle to match the quality of the end results that these professional services offer. 

So even if you have the best graphic design software and high quality printers available to you, a photo book printing service is easier and can offer better results.

How long does it take to design a photo book?

How long you want to spend perfecting your photo book is up to you but generally speaking most top end options have easy to use software. As such you can whip up a winning photo book in as little as 30 minutes. These can pull in photos from social media or your device, making that otherwise tough part, simple.

It's best to take your time over your photo book though, spending a few hours to get it just right. This means a better end result. Of course if you need to digitize photos too, add that time on.

What are express photo books? 

If you're in a real hurry to get your photo book, perhaps as a gift, then express photo books may be helpful. These are same-day photo printing services which allow you to pick up your photo book from a physical store. Some places where you can take advantage of this are Walmart Photo, CVS Photo or Walgreens Photo. Each of these offers an impressive one-hour pick-up time.

By comparison most other online services are going to take a few days, or even a week, to have your book printed and delivered to you. While these can mean you save money over express services, it does mean you need to plan ahead.

What are bespoke photo books?

If all this sounds like too much effort, there are bespoke photo book services that take even more of the work out of it for you. Services like Artifact Uprising offer professional designers who will do the legwork for you, for an additional fee of course.

All you need to do is get them the photos, tell them the sizes you want for the end result and have them go to work. You can then review and adjust before deciding on the final outcome.

How do photo book subscriptions work?

If that automation idea sounds good to you then a subscription service could be ideal. Photo subscriptions from the likes of Chatbooks, mean you'll be sent a photo book each month based on the photos from your smartphone, Instagram, Facebook and Google Photos.

Charged at $10 per softcover, or $15 for hardcovers, these books are shipped for free and are created for every 60 new photos. 

Photo book options

When you are buying a photo book, there are many things to consider outside of the cover design. It can be tempting to pick the prettiest cover, but measurements of size, layout options, and paper quality matter too. 

If you are new to buying a photo book, here are some important things to keep in mind before adding one to your cart. 

Size, shape and orientation

Most photo books are available in the 8.5 x 11-inch size, ideal for landscape photos. This is great for you if you have tons of average-sized horizontal photos. You can also get bigger, 14 x 11-inch photo books for larger-than-average snaps. 

While this works great for landscape photography, it may not be the best option for you if you are a fan of portrait photos. Selfie lovers should opt for vertical-oriented photo books that perfectly accommodate tall and narrow photos. 

Paper Quality

Paper quality might seem like an afterthought for photo books, but the right paper quality can actually change the whole look of your photo book. The most popular paper qualities include a glossy, matte, or luster finish, all of which look great depending on the theme of your photos. 

If you have vibrant photos with vivid colors, it’s best to opt for glossy paper, while a matte finish is ideal for a neutral or serious vibe. A luster finish is a good option if you want something bright but not super glossy. 

If you are looking for premium quality, opt for Lay Flat, which a fine paper made of extra thick cardstock for firmness and shape retention. This is best if you want your photos to lay flat in the book (instead of the curved shape most photo books offer). 

Cover and binding

 Now comes the best part: choosing the cover. This is one of the first things people consider when buying an album. 

Along with a great design, the “feel” of a photo album can also add to the nostalgic experience. Most popular cover options include leather and velvet as they offer a premium look for special photos. 

When choosing a cover, also look at the binding. Is it strong and durable to sustain regular use? Or is it pretty but delicate, making it suitable for rare use?

A good layout can make or break your photo book. The layout defines how your photos are arranged in the book. Here are some great questions to ask yourself to find the right layout:

Are all photos horizontal or is it a mix of landscape and portrait orientation? Is there space for taking notes and marketing dates? Can you change the layout or is it fixed?

Use photo books for online photo album storage

Lots of photo book services are happy for you to use their server space to store your photos. That means you can upload all your pictures as you take them for online backup with unlimited space. Not only does this mean your photos are secure but it's also easier than ever to create photo books, photo cards, canvas prints, photo paper prints, iPhone cases, gift mugs and more.

Some services, like Amazon Photo with Amazon Prints, will even recognise faces allowing you to create people specific albums more automatically. These also let you organize photos but to do this really well it's worth looking at good quality photo organizing software . 

Digitizing photos for your album

If you’ve been in the photography scene for a while, chances are you have analog photos you’d like to feature in a photo book. But to do so, you need to digitize them. 

The easiest way to do this is with a scanner, often found on an all-in-one printer . However, if you don’t have a scanner, time or the inclination to digitize your photos yourself, we recommend using a  photo scanning service .

If you have old slides you’d like to include in your photo books, you'll also need to convert them to digital media. As stated previously, you can always use a photo scanning service. But if you want to save some money and do the conversions yourself, we recommend investing in a slide to digital image converter . Keep in mind that this process, while not difficult, does take an investment of time if you have a lot of slides to get through, and it isn’t the most exciting work.

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Andy was the previous Editor-in-Chief of Top Ten Reviews. With over 18 years experience in both online and print journalism, Andy has worked for a host of world-leading tech and gaming brands, including PC Gamer and GamesRadar. He specializes in photography, technology and smart home, and has provided expert comment for sites like The Guardian. In his spare time Andy is an amateur photographer, and teaches at the National Film and TV School.

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Shutterfly vs. Mixbook: Comparing 2 Great Photo Books

Several months ago, we compared the biggest and best printers available for on-demand photo books .

And although there are plenty of excellent options out there with different advantages and disadvantages, two, in particular, stand out from the pack.

On one end of the spectrum stands Mixbook , an impressive newcomer. Recently, the on-demand bookbinders have made waves among photographers for the quality of their products. On the other end is Shutterfly , an early undisputed giant with a more mainstream following.

When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. We evaluate products independently . Commissions do not affect our evaluations.

Mixbook vs. Shutterfly

For those new to the world of photo books, both are incredibly appealing options to collaborate with.

In most ways, the two companies are neck and neck with one another. They offer similar prices and products, making it hard to determine the differences between the services.

However, our goal at PhotoWorkout is to clear things up for our readers so that they may make the decisions best for them. So, today we’ll be dissecting the two front runners, comparing Mixbook vs. Shutterfly piece by piece.

Related Post: Mixbook Photo Book vs. Blurb

MIXBOOK OVERVIEW

In short, here was my final verdict on their books:

Going into the review, I had high expectations of Mixbook based on what others had to say. The online press did not disappoint. From the moment I went on the website to the minute I finished flipping through my book, it was hard for me to find faults. That’s not to say that the Mixbook photo book is perfect. While it is affordable, it’s not the cheapest option around. The internal editor could always offer additional tools and capabilities. More sizing and binding options certainly couldn’t hurt things. However, to gripe on these points feels a lot like nitpicking.

Mixbook isn’t without its flaws, but it has garnered positive attention across the photo community for good reason. They offer a professional-looking final product well within most artists’ budgets. But does it hold up when examined head to head with a long-time industry leader?

SHUTTERFLY OVERVIEW

Shutterfly has been printing since 1999. It is a flagship printer shipping products in formats and on a variety of mediums. In the past, we have done several reviews about them, e.g.:

• a Shutterfly photo books review and
• we also reviewed the Shutterfly canvas prints as part of our discovery of the overall best canvas prints .

With years of experience under their belts, they have a few advantages that other smaller competitors can’t compete with.

Related Post:  Walgreens Photo Book Review

Offering seven different sizes and a variety of available materials, they have one of the most extensive photo book lines on the market. What’s more, Shutterfly is able to churn out finished products within three business days. Pricing starts as low as $16 per book (although add-ons can quickly increase the base cost). Make sure to check ongoing promotions  for steep discounts of up to 50%.

The site isn’t perfect – in particular, UI is a bit clumsy and cluttered at times. But thanks to the company’s resources, they’re able to offer solutions to get around some of their shortcomings.

For instance, Shutterfly offers a “Make my Book” service , in which trained professionals will design an album using whatever content you choose. Of course, if you want to keep the design work in your own hands, there are also simply drag-and-drop templates that the site has to offer.

A few weeks ago, I decided to print a mock-up for a personal photo project to see for myself if Shutterfly photo books lived up to their reputation.

There were a few minor differences between my Shutterfly product and my previous Mixbook order, but in most matters the two were comparable.

The matte finishes looked almost identical, as did the materials used to bind the cover. As far as print quality goes, I was impressed by the rich tonality and contrast Shutterfly’s finished project provided. Despite being a much larger corporation, Shutterfly adds just as much TLC into its books as Mixbook.

Before trying out Shutterfly, I assumed that their business revolved around making almost scrapbook-esque family albums and instant prints. Shutterfly can, in fact, accomplish those tasks. However, they also prove to be a viable contender for fine artists looking for higher-quality products.

Head-to-Head Comparison

So which service is best for you? Here’s our take based on a few of the categories that matter most to potential buyers.

Our choice: Mixbook

On the surface, Shutterfly seems to be the more affordable print service. After all, the company loves to tote around the fact that they offer photo books under $20. Furthermore, they frequently have sales going on that may take a nice chunk of change out of your final fee. However, there are some added fees that will likely catch you off-guard at checkout.

As with most sites, Shutterfly has a number of add-ons that can be applied to an order to enhance the final product. Unlike most websites, however, Shutterfly customers will almost certainly have to tack on add-ons, as base books are pretty bare bones. For instance, each book order only includes 20 pages – beyond that, customers must buy by the page. Larger volumes charge over $2 to add just one page to a volume. Combined with a $10 fee to remove Shutterfly logos as well as shipping and tax fees, it’s easy to see how many users wind up spending more than they intend on even simple book projects.

That being said, Mixbook’s prices aren’t far off Shutterfly’s. In fact, their base prices are almost identical (although Mixbook’s larger photo books are  slightly less expensive). However, we’re giving Mixbook the edge in this round because they’re a little bit more straightforward with pricing than their competitor.

Print Quality & Binding

Our choice: Tie (Both Mixbook and Shutterfly do an excellent job)

Shutterfly’s prints were absolutely beautiful, far surpassing my expectations. The tones were rich, and the paper complimented my black and white images especially well.

Unfortunately, there was one minor print error that I ran into (the edge of one of my images bled off the top side of the page whereas my other shots had a white border all the way around). However, despite the misprint, I was happy enough that I would use their services again.

I was also pleased with what I received from Mixbook. They did an excellent job with color management, and my end product looked exactly as it did on my online preview. My one little gripe, in retrospect, is that I think the printers may have added a little bit of extra sharpening between my submission and the print.

Honestly, it was too difficult to choose a winner in this category simply because they both do an excellent job. Their few weaknesses balance one another out, making it hard to identify a clear-cut winner.

I was a little bit more impressed with Shutterfly’s prints as a whole. However, I liked Mixbook’s standard binding a bit more. While Shutterfly’s pages need to be held down to stay in place, Mixbook’s default bind lays much flatter.

Options & Support

Our choice: Shutterfly

In this field, Mixbook, unfortunately, doesn’t stand a chance. The small company employs under 100 individuals. Shutterfly, on the other hand, has a workforce of nearly 2,000 employees.

For first-time users, Shutterfly is an easy choice because they simply have more resources to guide customers through the bookmaking process.

In fact, Shutterfly has a “ Make my Photo Book ” Service in which you can forward photographs and the folks behind the scenes will design the perfect book for you. They also offer a variety of presets and templates that are easy enough for beginners to use, but still, offer some control over the finished product.

That’s not to say that Mixbook is especially difficult to use or that their staff is in any way unhelpful. They too have templates and social media shortcuts that can make the process of building a photo book easier. But, because they are a smaller company, they can’t go above and beyond the way Shutterfly can.

The Verdict

Both services have earned their spots at the top of the food chain and provide comparable quality. If you’re not computer/design savvy and don’t want to go through the arduous process, Shutterfly may be the right option for you.

On the other end of the spectrum, if you have a large project and want to cut prices where you can, Mixbook may be able to cut prices without cutting quality.

In short, the printer you choose depends on where your priorities lie. Our final verdict is this: it’s difficult to go wrong with either of these heavy hitters.

Meghan is an artist and writer based out of Boston, MA. With an interest in everything from instant film to experimental videography, her work has been featured internationally in a variety of photographic exhibitions and publications. You can connect with Meghan on Instagram .

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18 thoughts on “Shutterfly vs. Mixbook: Comparing 2 Great Photo Books”

I did a Shutterfly book a few years ago and struggled with trying to go outside the pre-formatted boundaries with a custom book. Support helped me with non-intuitive work-arounds. My daughter gave me a Mixbook photo book of our family vacation to Japan together which I thought was great. For a gift today on Valentine’s day, I made a photo book for a friend. I went with Shutterfly’s “Create Your Own” option, partially because they keep your projects if you order every 18 months. The new flexibility was pretty easy. I was also swayed by the support issue in this review. A book was delivered on time, but it was not mine! Someone else’s nice Jewish wedding. Support over the weekend said a new book would be rushed to me today, but the site says that it is still being created and expected by 19th. The mature organization with support certainly fell short this time. I’ll certainly try Mixbook next time.

Unless you want to stick with the offered layouts without variation Shutterfly is just this side of hell. No visible grid to aid alignment from page to page, no “undo” action available, no “copy format” or “copy layout” to use on another page so you have to recreate it again on each page. Two solid days for something I could have done in photoshop in a few hours.

My order of 8 photo books all arrived with a white border on the right edge of the cover, something not shown on any view I had. The chat representative said it was my fault but they could generously reprint them (with an error I can’t fix because I can’t see it), paying just tax and shipping – $100!

It got resolved when a manager called me the next day (upon my request) – she acknowledged it was a printer error. Fortunately, I allowed plenty of time before they were needed – new ones arrive next week.

I will never use them again.

There is an undo action, but yes, otherwise correct. I find Shutterfly’s *custom* editor clunky and error prone.

And I also get printing errors where backgrounds don’t cover the entire printed area. They have always reprinted but I would much rather they just get it right first time

Can they do pearls finish for photo book?

This was very helpful! Thank you so much!

How many pages can be in a book

I checked with Shutterfly, they said you can have up to 111 pages in a book. When I checked with Mixbook, they said you could put up to 399 pages in a book. 99 pages in the flat page books.

There’s actually one BIG difference skipped out here. Mixbook doesnt allow the thick pages TOGETHER with a hard leather cover. You can get a thick soft cover that allows you to even put a photo there, but Shutterfly allows the thick pages and ALSO the beautiful leather cover that Mixbook won’t offer.

For some people working on wedding album, that can make a huge difference.

You CANNOT DOWNLOAD YOUR PHOTOS back to your desktop from Mixbook. So if you quickly want to get your picture back for another project you’re out of luck. Also made me wonder what they do with MY photos.

You CAN DOWLOAD the photos back from SHUTTERFLY.

That is not true. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD YOUR PHOTOS BACK TO YOUR DESKTOP FROM MIXBOOK! It’s easy. The photos are stored safely in Mixbook just as other photo processors.

I am not tech savvy, I had never created a photo book before, and I knew nothing about the various companies who offer such services. Our 50th anniversary was coming up, and I wanted a photo book that commemorated these 50 years. It was an all-consuming project, yet with Mixbook’s immense help, I completed this 121-page project and gave each of our children a book. I was thrilled at the quality of the book and the clarity of many old photos. Thanks Mixbook for answering my many questions and for providing the services you do. This senior citizen could never have finished such a project without your patience and helping hands!

Katherine, This was very helpful as I’m doing a “My Mommy and Daddy” book for my Son’s first baby which has also turned into an all-consuming project! I’ve never created a photo book before either, and since I’m scanning some old pre-digital photos I was worried about the clarity. I hope I’m as pleased as you with the finished project. Thanks from another senior citizen!

I’ve been using Mixbook for several years and have never been disappointed. My last project I decided to choose their metallic paper. When I received the book, I found the paper did not work as well as the standard gloss for some pics. My fault but when asked in follow up (they almost always do ask) I mentioned it and said I was not complaining because it was my choice. They absolutely insisted on reprinting it on regular paper for me. I told them no need but they insisted. That is customer service from a smaller company.

Vicki Did you get an answer to your question? I am doing research to find a photo book company that take my photos in Apple Photos ? Mb

I had two questions which were not answered. Which service is easier to use if all your photos are in Apple Photos? Which book allows for full paragraphs of text (I have family stories to include with my photos). Vicki

Mixbook will allow you to put in full paragraphs. I have done it with a couple of projects i have done. I made family books for my parents with stories of their life.

Shutterfly also allows you to write full paragraphs. I have used it for years. One of my books was family stories with pages of text and few pictures.

There were two differences I noted 7 years back which made me a returning Mixbook customer. It was much easier to use special characters in Mixbook. I think it was the lowercase u with an accent mark (for Spanish) which would not work in Shutterfly. But what kept me at Mixbook was the increased options for editing elements on the page. I enjoy the process, and I have more control at Mixbook.

Best Photobook Sites for Canadians

We love photo books – and the great news is, there are photobook creation options for everyone, depending on your budget, how much time you want to spend on the project, how much customization you require, and how polished you want the finished product to be.

The bad news is, not all sites work for Canadian shoppers, so we’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite Canuck-friendly options to help you get started. We’ve also included a few US options at the bottom because they’re big-time fan favourites, but keep in mind you’ll likely get dinged for extra shipping and custom/import duties upon delivery.

Black’s

Blacks makes photobook creation pretty straightforward, which is great for those who are intimidated by the book-making process or who don’t want too many options. With Blacks you can choose from a few different themes, colours, and sizes and build your book from there. Nice and easy.

Black’s Photobook Highlights:

• Starting price: $12.99 for 20-page, softcover book
• Delivery within Ontario between five and nine business days depending on shipping method
• Photo wallets, magnets, calendars, and ornaments are also available

Update Jan. 2023: Costco’s photo service is transitioning to Shutterfly’s new Canadian site . On January 28, 2023, products and services previously available from Costco Photo Centre will no longer be available. Projects saved on CostcoPhotoCentre.ca will not be available on the new Canadian Shutterfly site . If you’ve started a project at CostcoPhotoCentre.ca or would like extra copies of earlier projects, your order must be placed prior to this January 28th, 2023.

Costco’s online photo centre offers a wide range of products including photo books. Select a cover style and add your own photo(s) and text to be featured on the front. With each option you can choose from a variety of layouts and templates, conveniently drag and drop your photos, and easily add captions.

Costco’s Photobook Highlights:

• Starting price: $25.99
• Delivery in five to 12 business days
• Books start at 30 pages and you can add up to 30 more for a total of 60.

Photoinpress

This site offers Canadian-made, affordable, traditional photobook looks. There’s nothing fancy here, but they have some nice, classic options and offer five different book size and cover design options.

Photoinpress Photobook Highlights:

• Available in traditional or square formats with the option to customize the cover and spine of your book
• 20-page softcover books start at $12.99, hard cover at $29.99. Additional pages are extra.
• Free delivery across Canada

This Canadian company designs and manufactures premium photo books in Toronto and offers a design service option for extra cost, which might be worth it if you’d like a team of designers to create your book for you (with your input, of course!)

Pikto Photobook Highlights:

• 10 size options (starting at $9.95), and seven printing material options.
• Design-conscious upgrades include Imagewrap Hardcover (from $30),  Textile Hardcover (from $50) and Slipcase (from $95)
• Newsletter sign up gets you a 15% discount on your first order

Photo books are not Vistaprint’s core business so the design options are minimal, but the site is still a good option for those seeking good quality and value for the money. Vista Print also offers fast shipping and has many additional custom photo gifts and ideas to choose from.

Highlights:

• Photo Books starting at $13.
• Seven size options in portrait, square and landscape formats.
• Finishing touches include personalized covers, glossy photo finish, and additional pages (up to 120) for extra cost.

Henry’s

Henry’s is well-known in the Canadian photography industry and they have some decent, but not overly sophisticated, services for photo book creation. They also offer many other services, including prints, cards, calendars, canvas and more, if you’re looking for a one-stop shop for custom photo ideas.

Henry’s Photobook Highlights:

• Books start at 20-pages and come in a variety of sizes along with hardcover, softcover and hardcover leather options, as well as horizontal, square, and vertical orientations.
• 4×4 in softcover books start at $13.99
• Production time is nine-13 business days

It’s no surprise that the makers of the Easy button take a pretty no frills approach to photo books. Staples offers few creative flourishes but a variety of sizes and finishes means you can still create a lovely and customized finished product without breaking the bank.

Staples Photobook Highlights:

• Prices start at $22.49 for a 6×8 in book with a linen or leatherette cover.
• Variety of templates and cover options
• Free shipping on orders of $45 or more.

Walmart Photo Centre

Cheap and cheerful, Walmart Canada’s photo books include soft and hard-cover options, along with an Express Book that can be ready in as little as 2-4 business days. Prices start at less than $10 for 4×4 in soft cover book and go up to $28.97 for a 9×12 in hardcover book.

Walmart’s Photobook Highlights:

• 20 page with more at additional charge
• Room for up to 300 photos in hardcover books and 150 in softcover books
• Available for free in-store pick up or ship to home
• Express Books have room for 20 photos, are printed on Kodak Professional Photo Paper and come in 3 sizes.

U.S. Photobook Options That Offer Great Quality

We couldn’t pass up including a few of these fan favourites. These photobook companies offer great quality as well as more options and variety—but you’ll have to pay the shipping and might get dinged with custom and import duties upon delivery.

Blurb is well known in the photobook scene and has some really sleek, polished, high-quality books. The creation process is user-friendly and Adobe plug-ins are available. Blurb is great for anyone who doesn’t mind paying a little extra for a plethora of options and creative flexibility.

Blurb Photobook Highlights:

• Save 35% on your first book purchase with email sign-up.
• Five book sizes available.
• In addition to photo books, find templates for e-books, cookbooks, children’s books, graphic novels and more.
• Price for a small square, 7×7  in 20-page book starts at $32.99 CAD for 20 pages. Each additional page is $0.35 CAD.

Chatbooks has gorgeous options for covers that are as stylish as they are unique. Chatbooks are affordable and simple to create, and the “Series” option allows you to automatically create a new book with the upload of 60 photos.

Chatbooks Photobook Highlights:

• 6×6 in or 8×8 in sizes
• 6×6 in softcover photo books start at $10 USD
• Add photos from multiple sources including Facebook, Instagram, Flckr, Dropbox or computer.

Forever’s main point of difference is how quickly books can be made. The “just enough” approach to customization options will help you customize to your satisfaction without getting overwhelmed, and the layflat binding option (premium add-on) makes for perfect presentation.

Forever Photobook Highlights:

• 21-page books start at $19.99 USD
• Available in two sizes and styles: 8×8 in and 12×12 in, hard and softcover. (Leather cover is a premium add on).
• Archival-quality materials ensures the life and quality of your book for future generations

Mixbook has plenty of beautiful options for customization including templates and fonts. Users can choose from 359 photo book themes.

Mixbook Photobook Highlights:

• Rated #1 in 2014 by Top Consumer Reports in the U.S.
• Landscape photo books start at $21.99 CAD
• The “Get Inspired” tab will help kickstart your creativity for all photo projects, including books.

*** coming soon to Canada in 2023

With no shortage of size, customization, and embellishment options, Shutterfly is a pioneer in the photo book space. And they offer three different ways to make your book: have their designers make it for you; make it yourself using Simple Path (automatic photo arrangement on the template of your choice), or Custom Path (layouts are professional and predesigned, or designed by you).

Shutterfly Photobook Highlights:

• Excellent image and overall book quality
• Popular design templates include Disney, Sesame Street, and Star Wars
• Square, 8×8 in books start at $19.99 USD

Snapfish users love the easy-to-use photo editor and step-by-step instructions, not to mention the number of customizable options including more than 120 themes, backgrounds and templates. But Canadians beware, you’ll wait a lot longer for delivery!

Snapfish Photobook Highlights:

• 20-page 8×8 in hardcover books start at $29.99 USD.
• Square, portrait, and landscape options.
• Delivery estimates to Canada are between eight and 30 business days

5 Pro Tips for Creating Your Photobook Masterpiece:

• If you’re making multiple books for different people, start by creating one master version that can be tweaked for others using dates and images that are meaningful to them.
• If you do photo books annually, create a file on your phone or computer every January that you can transfer your favourite photos into throughout the year. And if you’re including photos from other family members, be sure to give them plenty of time to share their favourite images with you.
• Consider attaching a theme to your creation, like “Our Summer Vacation,” “Favourite Family Moments,” or “Being Silly in 2021.” This helps create a more structured and cohesive finished product, and you can change the theme year to year.
• Pay attention to how your photos are organized and ordered. A great photobook is like any story, so consider how you want yours to flow and unfold.
• Before you buy or decide on a service, search online for sales. It’s not uncommon to find a promo code for 40%, 50% event 60% off especially around the May and December holidays, as well as Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

Related Reading:

Best Subscription Boxes for Moms That Ship to Canada

• Professional Family Photo Tips
• Photo Organization Mistakes

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51 comments.

Love the ideas. I have been considering Walmart and Staples for a photo book. Any experience with either of them and how they compare to the ones you selected for this blog? I like the idea of going Canadian, but these ones are pretty quick and close to home. Still debating.

We actually haven’t tried Walmart or Staples… If you end up trying them out, let us know what you think and we could add them to the list! 🙂

Hi…you forgot *Snapfish*….a stellar, very user-friendly US company… Have used them for a nbr. of years and bought many things…made 4 books, purchased photo ornaments, photo stickers, photo mouse pad. All of my projects are stored there….very quick to load my pics on their site….excellent customer service, lots of sales, with no duties charged to me……therefore, no need for me to go anywhere else…(a very satisfied customer…)

You missed costco for thier photobooks. You can get a 20 page book for 10 bucks. There is even more choices in the website. And cheaper than the ones you posted..

Good to know about these! We’ll have to add them to our list! Thanks!

I also like Shutterfly out of the States…they have a lot of options, different layouts

FOREVER Print should be on this list! It offers the best photo book quality I have found in the US. It prides itself on using archival-quality materials that will last for generations without fading or deteriorating in any way. I have been FOREVER Print for over a year and highly recommend!

I have just this week (October 2018) tried to use Vistaprint to make a photobook. Big mistake! Their software crashed on me, pages disappeared, the phone number for customer support on the website was out of service and when I tried to get assistance at the main Vistaprint phone number, their representatives did not know how to contact the photobook department. I ended up sitting on the phone for about 40 minutes as they tried to figure out how to reach the photobook department and when they finally did and connected me with it, the connection was cut off before they could be of any use. Stay away from this company!

Walmart, by the way, does not seem to offer the photobook service in Canada – I tried but, as is often the case, could not reach a live human being at the Canadian web site to tell me if it is or is not available here and there was nothing online about it. Maybe the U.S. Walmart would deliver photoboks to Canada, but I doubt it as they don’t deliver anything else to this country – if it isn’t available from Walmart Canada, they won’t ship it here.

Interesting! Thanks for letting us know! We’ll look into it and adjust our post. Thank you for the feedback!

I just built an album with Photobook Canada and am ready to order. There is a discount at 50% right now. should I order or is there usually bigger discount offered before Christmas?

I’ve used Photobook Canada a few times now and I can confirm with others that their books always come from somewhere in Asia. Although, their office is in Markham, you can’t pick up your product at all. I do like the fact that you can install their software locally on my computer and so I can work on my album without any internet connection. However, even after a few books, I still have problem with pictures printed outside the edge. I really like the photo colour and the software by Shutterfly. Too bad they are in the US otherwise they would be my choice for photobook.

Katka, I did my photobook recently with Walmart Photo Centre Canada (not Walmart) and they do ship to Canada.

I have created over 15 books with photobook Canada. I recently ordered three photoboks and had to pay extra custom fees/taxes so my books would be delivered. I paid as much for shopping as I did for the extra custom fees. This is news and I have read a lot of negative reviews since. Their customer service won’t explain why the change and why this was never communicated to client.

Along story short, I will never order from them again, which is too bad because I love their readybooks but my recent items ended up costing me over 60 dollars for 40 pages and I had coupons… not competitive!

NEVER use Photobook Canada! You should remove it from your list and provide a warning against using it. I ordered 3 photobooks using a deal where I paid $20 each for 3 books ($60 total). The computer added on a $7.99 surcharge for each book for using regular paper, even though it indicates regular paper has no surcharge, and the $7.99 surcharge is supposed to be for silk pages (so an incorrect charge of $23.97). With the cheapest shipping option costing $29 and duty of $25, I had to pay a minimum of $77.97 additional charges on my $60 item! I could not remove the paper surcharge and wanted my books by Christmas so I ordered anyway, and would follow up later on the surcharge. [I sent a message when I ordered with another question. They answered the other question and ignored my question about the incorrect surcharge. I answered again with the question about the incorrect paper surcharge and never heard anything.] When I was placing my order at the end, that’s when I discovered that the cheapest shipping option was $29. I wanted to make sure it arrived on time so I paid $40 shipping to get it faster. (There was an option in between for something like $32.) Then you can track your order online. The books shipped by DHL courier from Malaysia. Then they went to Hong Kong, then Cincinnati, then into Canada. The day before they arrived, I got a message indicating I would have to pay $25 duty to receive my order. After reading emails I discovered that I would have to be home when the delivery was made to pay the $25, otherwise my order would not be delivered again until the next business day (which would’ve been Christmas Eve – and then I’d have to stay at home all day on Christmas Eve possibly to make sure I could receive it – from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. a 12-hour window!). It was a Friday afternoon and I called DHL and they told me the truck had not yet attempted to deliver my package that day, so luckily if I remained home for the next 6 hours or less, I would get my package that day. I arranged to have someone else pick my kids up from school so I could wait at home. It was lucky I did, because that’s when the delivery came. I had to pay the $25 duty. At least I could then leave the house. I could have told DHL I would pick it up myself from one of two locations (one was the airport) the next day, a Saturday. I was worried they might be closed, have modified hours, or it would get lost since it was so close to Christmas, although not likely. So with the incorrect $23.97 paper surcharge, the $25 duty, and the cheapest shipping option $29, I had to pay at least an additional $77.97 on my $60 purchase! The charges cost more than the item I bought! And because I paid $40 to get faster delivery, I actually paid $89 in additional charges on top of my $60 purchase! I had already paid the $60 in advance and was now redeeming. It was NOT a good deal! It is false advertising to call themselves “Photobook Canada” when it ships internationally for large fees and duty is payable. Furthermore, you only learn you have to pay duty AFTER you’ve already paid and placed your order. Even the shipping you don’t know the cost until after you’ve already spent hours creating your photobook and are ready to order. The ONLY reason I chose “Photobook Canada” is because I didn’t want to have to worry about it going through customs and causing a possible delay. Plus, you can only pay by PayPal, so it will probably be harder to get a refund, if not impossible (than if my credit card paid Photobook Canada directly). By the way, I got superb customer service from Shutterfly in the U.S. and highly recommend them.

Thanks for letting us know! We’ll update the list!

I ordered canvas prints from Photobook “Canada”. Items shipped from Malaysia. Price was 119.00 and shipping ended up to be 169.00. When I received them they were just awful! No way I was hanging them on my wall in my home! Sent pictures of them to support and they said that is their quality. They were AWFUL and I threw them out. DO NOT order from them.

Has anyone used both Shutterfly and Mixed Book? if so would you share comments about each.Thanks

I have used Shutterfly for years and was quite happy & impressed with their work. IThey then started charging extra for the nicer looking embellishments, which could add up quickly (especillay with the difference in exchange rates.)Then I tried Mixbook with a coupon I saw online. Wow! So much better. Easy to use, so many “free” options and the quality of the photo, was so much better. Now I have seen new posts that Shutterfly picture quality has improved, but not sure if they are still charging extra for embellishments etc. Currently working on a large project with Mixbooks and it’s turning out even better than I laid out my plans for.

I have used Vistaprint several times and different years to make POSTCARDS, using my own photo. I have never had any reason to complain about the imagery on the front or my design of the back of the Postcard. I would never make Postcards using Vistaprint because my batches of POSTCARDS were NEVER CUT STRAIGHT. This completely destroyed the professional look of the card as I couldn’t sell them like this. I complained and even went so far as to tell them to please mark on my file that my POSTCARDS must be cut straight. I continued to receive what I ordered, CROOKED on at least 2 sides and this is why I won’t use Vistaprint. I don’t understand why the company can’t cut this product straight? Wouldn’t they have machines set up to do the cutting? This was total frustration for me.

Hi ! how to get the designer service (pitko) ?

I do not find.

I have used PhotoinPress and been completely happy with the product. Shipping is fast and not expensive. There are not as many icons as I would like but there is unlimited scope for picture shape and size and placement. Text is just fine too. Very reliable!

Thank you so much for your input, Anita!

I have used Photobook Canada for a number of years with very good results. Lots of sales and I have completed professional looking books up to 200 + pages.

Thanks for this usefull info. I would just like to let you know something I just read from another website, saying about Mixbook. Someone said that in their policy, it is said that you are giving them the right to use your photos in their advertisement… People don’t read those “contract”. I found that shocking.

I want to do a 11×14 book in Canada. Any suggestions as to who I should use? Is Walmart’s photo center any good?

You don’t have Treasure-Book.com on your list. Canadian company, Free Software (you’ll need to download the software to a computer), customer service is amazing. Books I have ordered have come in beautifully, amazing color, and quality.

Thank you, Ann! We’ll look into it! 🙂

Related question for y’all. Any sites that offer basic photo editing? I’d love to spruce up my family photos before making gift books but I am SO bad at photo editing Thanks!

I’m giving photo in press a try. The shipping seems a bit high but they have a 40% off discount today so I ordered a whole bunch of Christmas photo gifts 🙂

Good luck, Karrine! Let us know how it goes! 🙂

photoinpress has the best software after i tried literally all the ones in this list while shopping. and they had the best price at the time i got it with a 40% discount. however they didnt give me a tracking number or anything and i ordered 11 days ago and its still not here so thats the only downside to it so far

I have used Blacks.ca for the past 3-4 years (after apple stopped printing) to make calendars for family members and have been pleased with the results. I just used photoinpress for the first time (Blacks.ca website was down from Black Friday through early December) and am quite pleased with the results. Web browser based “software” is the same as Blacks and very easy to use. I placed my order on a Saturday; calendars were received by family members in Montreal two days later, and delivered to West Coast in 6 business days. As Ray mentioned below, my only issue was that I never received a tracking number, but in my case the shipping was very fast. Hope this information is helpful.

I have used Nowvel in the past. The quality of the books and pictures were amazing. The books were SO easy to make from iPad photos. Anyone who looked at the books said they were beautiful. Sadly, the book did not take off like Shutterfly or Snap fish so the books are no longer able to be ordered or made from Canada. The site that was recommend to me was Pikto. Has anyone tried it? I doubt I will find a site to make books from my iPad pictures as much as I liked Nowvel.

As a photographic darkroom instructor and artist-in-residence, I have been preparing print-illustrated instruction booklets for my students in both Lith printing and Lumen process. I have used both Pikto and Blacks for printing. Pikto is more expensive, but by offering ICC profiles for it’s papers one can achieve quite good colour control. Pikto soft-cover books suffer peeling of the cover lamination almost immediately and binding style requires adjustment of page lay-out not compensated for in the lay-out software provided. Blacks is cheaper but impossible and very frustrating trying to get accurate colour result. Three attempts were required before getting acceptable result. Blacks does not do the printing themselves, they work with third party print service and have no input on result. The Blacks product does have better binding style for it’s soft-cover photo books, and acceptable paper quality.

I live in Saskatchewan. In February, our family went on a trip to Israel. We came back with great memories and hundreds of photos. I would like to make a photo album of these photos. But in looking a various options, I am really confused. What would be the best software to use? If I wanted to make a 60 page album, what would it cost? And people have talked about coupons. But there is also a blizzard of options for those. I have no idea what to do. I am not very good with this computer stuff, so when someone says “it is really easy” that does not help me at all.

I need a suggestion for a photo book app I can use on a Mac. Mac has stopped printing their own books. Reviews online suggest 3rd party printers but I think they are all American. I have made a noon using Loblaws photolab and I really liked the book, plus free pick up at the grocery store. Problem is it’s annoying to use as you have to upload the photos to their website, then go online to make your book. I would like something Canadian that works on a Mac that I can use when offline. Any suggestions?

Thanks for this list. Hadn’t heard of PhotoInpress, but will give them a shot for my next project. Their web interface looks to be an exact clone of Black’s, but I see they do have downloadable software that might be worth a try.

Every year I make a photo book of the year’s family events, plus calendars for grandparents. Boy do I miss Apple’s print products. For me their main pro was the huge assortment of custom layouts, especially if you wanted more than just five or six photos on a page. I haven’t found anything online that has the same variety that is as quick and simple to use.

I’ve used Blacks these past two years, had good results with them, and found their pricing reasonable. They don’t have anywhere near the same variety of layout designs that Apple had, but you can make custom layouts. The problem with that is there’s no way to save the layouts, so you have to recreate them for each page, and that can get time consuming really fast. And there’s no way to hide photos you’ve already used in your project, so if you’re making bigger projects (which, for me, is more than 70 pages) you’ll be doing lots of scrolling, looking to find that new thumbnail out of 200.

I looked at Mimeo, one of the plugins Apple is trying to push as a replacement to their print products, but for the most part it seems to use the exact same web interface as Blacks, and didn’t have the same layouts that Apple’s had, so I didn’t see any advantage to using that over Blacks. Plus Blacks is Canadian.

Thank you Jen for your suggestions. I use Blurb and it is great but was looking for another to try as it does get pricey because i like the large 60 page ones for travels. Is there any reason you did not comment on Apple ?

Hello Thank you for this useful article also I want to introduce you to Dolce Vita : https://dolcevitauae.com/ Best Company that gives a professional PhotoBooks Digital Albums in UAE and Oman I hope it can find the way to your blog also there is PhotoMe https://photome.ae/ it’s for non professionals user to make their pro albums and Gifts with very easy APP for mobile

Photobook Canada has been a horrible experience for me! I busted my a$$ getting a photo book for our friends done, who were moving. I did that a month before they moved. It has now been a week since they left, and I still don’t have these photo books. Photobook Canada does not inform the customer that almost none of the business is in Canada. The printing and assembly is done in Asia, and then they use DHL for the shipping. DHL has been absolutely horrible in that the shipment has been stalled at a sorting facility for over a month, nobody feels responsible, nobody can tell me why it has been stalled, and now they claim that it has been lost completely. Meanwhile, Photobook Canada does not seem to give a damn. They have not offered constructive help at all. I would never recommend this business to anyone!

Thanks for making a list of photo book companies that are actually based in Canada!

Thanks for the comprehensive list. I have been using Picaboo for the past 7 years. It’s an American company so prices are in US dollars but they always have specials. For the amount of pages I use, the cheapest coupon is the $100 for $35 one. Others they have are “extra pages free”, “40%-70% off”, free shipping etc… these are for the photo books. The shipping is around $12 – $16. No duties have to be paid upon receipt. I do my own books using their templates but over the years I have been able to do a little to a lot of customization. Not sure how it compares but all my books have been different. It takes a bit of time to get used to using their editing functions but that’s for all things I guess. I have always been happy with the results. They have an app as well so you can download photos directly from your phone. But it wasn’t working last time I made a photo book. Another piece of advice I have is to make your photos as bright as possible because we are used to seeing them on a lighted screen but when you get you book obviously they will be printed on paper. The site will tell you if your pictures are of poor quality or too dark. I was hoping to cut costs a bit more by looking for a Canadian company but after reading some comments below…I may stick with tried and true Picaboo. If I change to another American company it would be one with more editing capabilities then.

Hey! Has anyone ordered from Costco? But the regular photobook, not the premium. I’m wondering if the quality is any good or if it is better to just pay more and go with shutterfly or picaboo.

Just so you know, Blurb is also in Canada…I’ve been ordering from them for years (since 2009 or 2011 – can’t quite recall). Their warehouse is in Richmond, BC

I have been working in the photobook and personalized print business in Canada for over 10 years and I can tell you that Blurb is definitely NOT in Canada. They print in the US (and have for many years now) and ship books to their warehouse in BC to be distributed to Canadians.

Someone commented below about Photobook Canada, which has a very bad reputation for quality and not delivering on time. Additionally, their books are printed overseas and the costs for duty and taxes are exceptionally high.

Blacks.ca is a great site to make a photobook and their books are manufactured in Canada. They have a great book-builder that is easy to use and tonnes of templates to choose from. Their new lay-flat books, printed on Silver Halide paper (photo paper) are amazing and the print quality is like nothing you have seen. Lay-flat is definitely the new standard for photobooks.

Photoimpress also makes a great book here in Canada. Staples offers simple books but the book-making tools are not that great. Costco also has some good options however templates are very limited. Walmart Photo Canada is good for a simple “cheap and cheerful” book, editing can be limited.

To Jen: Please reach out to me if you ever want some insight into the photobook industry in Canada. I really feel strongly that we have some great options here in Canada and that we need to promote Canadian businesses!

There is a lot of negative response about Photobook Canada. I create art photo cards and sell them in stores in Nanaimo so I have some experience and I am picky 🙂 I have done 5 or 6 layflat books 8.5×11 and larger. I use their software and design my own books. I have been very happy with the books, customer service and delivery has been what they said it would be. I have used Adorama out of the States and their quality is better but for the amount of books I do I appreciate the low price of Photobook Canada. With Groupon it has been very inexpensive. July 2021 a 24 page layflat book 8x5x11 cost $18 plus approx $12 for shipping. My only wish is that they offered glossy paper.

I have been using Costco photo for years to make family calendars for both my husband’s and my families – 14 for my side and 12 for his. Costco shut down its warehouse service and now does not offer the same outline for calendars anymore, and I can’t find anything comparable for the price. Any suggestions?? Most stores are way too expensive for the number of calendars I make

Hello, This is an excellent article. I was wondering if you know of a company that offers linen photo books with window that are available in a variety of cover colours? I used to buy them through Shutterfly, but they offer limited linen colours now. Any suggestions?

Just curious why you didn’t include Picaboo as a photo book option. Did you find it lacking? That’s the one I have been using for years for calendars and photobooks. They are American but I believe they have a Toronto “factory” or outlet. I’m just curious how they compare to others.

We can take a look!

I’ve been buying photobooks from Shutterfly US since 2013. I love that they offer “free unlimited pages” sales throught the year because my photobooks get up 100 pages which is pricey. Unfortunately, when I went to order yesterday, they’ve now added an “international tax” which significantly increased the cost. My photobook was $42 and the tax was $37! Has anyone seen if Shutterfly Canada offers unlimited photobook pages sales?

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